Keep It Fictional: Recent Episodes
Port Moody Public Library
Keep It Fictional is a weekly podcast for book lovers, by book lovers. Build your TBR with Corene, Fiona, Gabriel, Liz, Mark, Sadie, and Virginia from the Port Moody Public Library. Warning! This podcast contains strong opinions and may cause an increase in your library holds list.
Music by James Barth
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation takes place on September 30 to honour the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities. Please join the Keep It Fictional Team in reading works by Indigenous authors. Books mentioned on this episode: Picking Up the Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket by Carey Newman and Kirstie Hudson, Tilly and the Crazy Eights by Monique Gray Smith, And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott, and The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava.
We continue our 200th anniversary episode with more existential questions: What book would you make every book friend read? How much influence does your book friends' recommendations actually have on your reading? Do you plan what you read ahead of time or see what your mood takes you? We also played a game of "how well do we know our book friends", and of course, we had to debate questions like what qualifies as a fantasy book, what animals do we not care to read in books, what's the point of sprayed edges, and bring up once again our book friends' bookbuying habits.
1085 books and 9607 minutes later, we have arrived at our 200th episode of the Keep It Fictional podcast from the Port Moody Public Library. Thank you, listeners, for joining us in the past four years, and we hope we'll get to spend many more with you.
For this special 200th episode, you will not only get to hear from Corene, Emma, Sadie, and Virginia, but also from three former book friends, who have come back for a reunion! We are so thankful that they have made the time to join us for a trip down the KIF memory lane.
In Part One of our anniversary episode, we will talk about we are reading right now, in exactly 200 words in honour of our 200th episode, and take a trip down the memory lane, and of course, dive into some existential questions. Stay tuned next week for Part Two next week.
Long time listeners know that we are big, big fans of books in translation on Keep It Fictional. As September is National Translation Month, we dedicate this episode to all translators and publishers that specialize in translation. Thank you for all the work you do! Books mentioned on this episode: The History of My Sexuality by Tobi Lakmaker, translated from Dutch into English by Kristen Gehrman, His Name Was Death by Rafael Bernal, translated from Spanish into English by Kit Schluter, and The Enigma of Room 622 by Joël Dicker, translated from French into English by Robert Bononno.
Emma and Virginia finally got a chance to do an entire episode on the series Bungo Stray Dogs! This series is especially dear to them because it has introduced and inspired them to seek out many classic Japanese authors, whom they will talk about today. They are a bit insufferable because they love this series so much, so thanks for listening! Books mentioned on this episode: The Poems of Nakahara Chuya by Nakahara Chuya, translated by Paul Mackintosh and Maki Sugiyama, Tangled Hair: Selected Tanka from Midaregami by Akiko Yosano, translated by Sanford Goldstein and Seishi Shinoda, The Moon Over the Mountain: Stories by Atsushi Nakajima, translated by Paul McCarthy and Nobuko Ochner, and Once and Forever: The Tales of Kenji Miyazawa by Kenji Miyazawa, translated by John Bester.
This week, we hear from Emma and Sadie about the books they are looking forward to reading this Fall. You can expect heists, assassins, queer relationship stories, and lots of cats. Books mentioned on this episode: Latin America Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara, The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner, Invisible Kitties: A Feline Study of Fluid Mechanics or The Spurious Incidents of the Cats in the Night-Time by Yu Yoyo, Translated by Jeremy Tiang, The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle, Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands, Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune, Heartbreak Is the National Anthem by Rob Sheffield, The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop, Private Rites by Julia Armfield, Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis.
For the next two episodes, we are going to talk about books we are excited to read coming out in the last quarter of the year. Of course, as you can imagine, Corene and Virginia are going to bring two very different sets of books to the table today. Books mentioned in this episode: Overstaying by Ariane Koch, translated by Damion Searls, Real Ones by Katherena Vermette, The Stone Door by Leonora Carrington, Blood of the Old Kings by Sung-il Kim, translated by Anton Hur, Model Home by Rivers Solomon, We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado, The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society by C. M. Waggoner, Question 7 by Richard Flanagan, Apartment Women by Gu Byeong-mo, translated by Chi-Young Kim, The Thinking-About-Gladys Machine by Mario Levrero, translated by Annie McDermott and Kit Schluter, and The Little Sparrow Murders by Seishi Yokomizo, translated by Bryan Karetnyk.
Is romance dead? Not on Keep It Fictional today! Corene, Emma, and Sadie dive deep today into all things romance, from what they like about the genre, to how they feel about the many tropes in romance fiction. Books mentioned on this show: The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley, Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong, and A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole.
We will be mixing it up today and taking on the persona of a book friend and reading one of their favourite genres, subjects, or formats. What are the lessons learned from this exercise? We shall find out! Books mentioned on this episode: Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Ivy Ross and Susan Magsamen, Dragon Palace by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Ted Goossen, A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid, and Flying Witch by Chihiro Ishizuka.
Perhaps the strangest Keep It Fictional experience yet... Corene, Sadie, and Virginia have to read a book that have characters with the same names as them. Books mentioned on this episode: I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang, Corinne by Rebecca Morrow, and The Chandelier by Clarice Lispector, translated by Benjamin Moser and Magdalena Edwards.
For our 193th episode, we are finally going to tackle Westerns. We also discussed how to get out of a reading slump. Books mentioned on this episode: Frontier by Grace Curtis, A Cowboy to Remember by Rebekah Weatherspoon, True Grit by Charles Portis, and Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson.
We read historical fantasy, Sadie's favourite genre mashup, and share some feelings about trains, clothes in Medieval times, romantic leads named Ralph, and people on the internet. Books mentioned on this episode: The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks, The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker, The Last Heir to the Blackwood Library by Hester Fox, and A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur.
Are two heads always better than one? Today, Corene, Emma, Sadie, and Virginia finds out by reading a book that is co-written by two or more authors. Books mentioned on this episode: Bury the Lead by Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti, Dayswork by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel, My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton, and Ghost Roast by by Shawnee Gibbs and Shawnelle Gibbs, illustrated by Emily Cannon.
Corene, Emma, and Virginia dive into the mysterious world of Booktok today. Are you a fan of Booktok and do you read books popular on Booktok? Books mentioned on this episode: Carrie Soto is back by Taylor Jenkins Reid, A Shameful Life (also known as No Longer Human) by Osamu Dazai, translated by Mark Gibeau, and Bride by Ali Hazelwood.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keepitfictional/message
2024 is the year of the dragon, so we thought we would do a dragon episode. Find out what happens when two librarians who are pretty "meh" towards dragons read a dragon book. Books mentioned in today's episode: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill and When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker.
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Sadie assigns us to judge a book by its colour today. What is your favourite colour? Will you read a book just because the cover has your favourite colour?
Books mentioned on this episode: The Blizzard by Vladimir Sorokin, translated by Jamey Gambrell, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum, translated by Shanna Tan, and Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs.
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Let's travel back in time to... 2023. What are some books we didn't get to that we finally read for today's show? Books mentioned on this episode: Homecoming by Kate Morton, Grave Expectations by Alice Bell, and Blackouts by Justin Torres.
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Happy Pride Month everyone! Pick up a book by the many amazing 2SLGBTQIA+ authors in June (and all year around, of course). Books mentioned on this episode: The Girl from the Sea by Molly Ostertag, Antiman by Rajiv Mohabir, Family Meal by Bryan Washington, and In the Form of a Question by Amy Schneider.
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Is the best present for a book lover a book? In today's episode, Corene, Emma, Sadie, and Virginia read books gifted to them, and discussed what makes a perfect gift. Books mentioned: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, and Beyond the Curve by Kobo Abe, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter.
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Our long-time listeners will be familiar with our "most anticipated upcoming releases" episodes, where we talk about books we are looking forward to reading. Sadie wonders, how many of these "most anticipated" books did her book friends actually end up reading? Well, at least one, since she is making us read one for today's episode. Books mentioned on this episode: The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence, HellSans by Ever Dundas, and The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams.
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It's just three of us today, so in addition to telling you about the books we read for this Asian Heritage Month episode, we also sneak in a few bonus reading suggestions. Books mentioned on this show: The Lantern and the Night Moths edited and translated by Yilin Wang, Welcome Me to the Kingdom by Mai Nardone, and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.
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Here are some more upcoming releases Corene, Emma, Sadie, and Virginia are looking forward to this season. Plus, find out what is the best book each of them has read so far this year. Books mentioned on this episode: Cicada Summer by Erica McKeen, Dark Wire by Joseph Cox, Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong, Funeral Nights by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih, The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer by Faith Erin Hicks, Toward Eternity by Anton Hur, Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi, and The Novices of Lerna by Angel Bonomini and translated by Jordan Landsman.
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It's that time of the year again for us to look forward into the future to see what books have the potential to be our favourites of 2024. We will be talking about books coming out in May, June, July, and August in 2024. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.
Books mentioned on this episode: Joyful Recollections of Trauma by Paul Scheer, Yona of the Dawn Volume 41 by Mizuho Kusanagi, The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin, Mina's Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa and translated by Stephen B. Snyder, The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, There Is No Ethan by Anna Akbari, Little Fortified Stories by Barbara Black, One Hundred Shadows by Hwang Jungeun and translated by Jung Yewon, The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava, The Joyful Song of the Partridge by Paulina Chiziane and translated by David Brookshaw, Coexistence: Stories by Billy-Ray Belcourt, and Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson.
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Today, we talk about the book equivalent of a "turducken": genre mashups. Do the authors we read for today have the chops to mix things up and create something amazing? Let's find out. Books mentioned on this episode: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas, Yona of the Dawn series by Mizuho Kusanagi, Perdido Street Station by China Miéville, and Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister.
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Celebrate National Poetry Month with us and check out a poetry collection or a novel in verse from your local library. Books mentioned on this show: The Carrying and The Hurting Kind by Ada Limon, Gay Girl Prayers by Emily Austin, The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson, Root Fractures by Diana Koi Nguyen, and Crushed Wild Mint by Jess Housty.
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We welcome all tea and non-tea drinkers to another episode of Keep It Fictional! This week we dive into Sadie's obsession and read books with tea in it. We also try to figure out what tea we would be, if we were a type of tea. Books mentioned on this episode: The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill, The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton, The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly, and The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard.
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This week, we explore one of Emma's obsessions and read books about warrior women, real and fictional. Books mentioned on this show: The Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan, The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera, The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco, Madame Fourcade's Secret War by Lynne Olsen.
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How does an episode on books about families lead to a discussion on dinosaurs? Find out in today's Keep It Fictional Book Chat. Books mentioned on this episode: Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis, The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh, Is Mother Dead by Vigdis Hjorth and translated by Charlotte Barslund, and The Antelope Woman by Louise Erdrich.
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Join us in celebrating the hard work of many wonderful independent and small publishers this March, along with a discussion of the star rating system. Books mentioned on this episode: The Way She Feels by Courtney Cook (published by Tin House), Cursebreakers by Madeleine Nakamura (published by Canis Major Books), and You, Bleeding Childhood by Michele Mari and translated by Brian Robert Moore (published by And Other Stories).
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Let's see what our Keep It Fictional librarians think of this year's contenders for Canada Reads? Who will reign supreme? We will find out on March 7. Books mentioned on this episode: The Future by Catherine Leroux, translated by Susan Ouriou, Shut Up You're Pretty by Téa Mutonji, Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune, Denison Avenue by Christina Wong & Daniel Innes, and Bad Cree by Jessica Johns.
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We spotlight Black authors and creators in this episode today (and judge each other's beverage choices...again.) Books mentioned on this episode: Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi, The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin, Home by Toni Morrison, and A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib.
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Since it's Valentine week, Emma decides we all need to read a book with the word "love" in the title. Didn't really end up having any pure romance books, but we did have: inheriting a London bookstore, "American Psycho meets Legally Blonde", ants crawling around, and more... Books mentioned on this episode: With Love From London by Sarah Jio, Kill for Love by Laura Picklesimer, All About Love by Bell Hooks, Life and Other Love Songs by Anissa Gray, and Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward.
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To thank Al for all the great book suggestions they have given us during their time on Keep It Fictional, we all consumed some vampire media for today's episode. Books mentioned on this episode: My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes, Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco.
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The word "murder" comes up fairly frequently on the show so we thought, why not do an episode where we all have to pick a book that has the word "murder" in the title?
Books mentioned on this episode: The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley, Murder in the Age of Enlightenment by Ryunosuke Akutagawa and translated by Bryan Karetnyk, and Murder Your Employer:The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes.
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Happy New Year to all our listeners! For our very first episode of 2024, we want to tell you about upcoming books we are excited to read in the new year. Let us know what you are looking forward to reading.
Books mentioned on this episode: Murder Road by Simone St. James, Ghost Roast by Shawnee Gibbs and Shawnelle Gibbs, What Feasts the Night by T. Kingfisher, Harlequin Butterfly by Toh EnJoe, translated by David Boyd, The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang, The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo, Your Utopia by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur, These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang, Fury by Clyo Mendoza, translated by Christina MacSweeney, Raised by Wolves: Fifty Poets on Fifty Poems, A Graywolf Anthology by Graywolf Press, A Magical Girl Retires by Seolyeon Park, translated by Anton Hur, Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis, The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo, Amulet: Waverider by Kazu Kibuishi, and Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.
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Do you believe that authors should "stay in thelr lanes"? See what our Keep It Fictional Book Chat librarians think, after they read a book by an author who decides to try out a new genre, or write for a different audience. Books mentioned on this episode: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki and translated by Alex Dudok de Wit.
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At Keep It Fictional today, we decided to be nice to ourselves and do a "free play" episode, i.e. we can talk about any book we like. Turns out that's just as hard. Books mentioned on this episode: The Modern World by Cassie Beacham, The Miner by Natsume Soseki, translated by Jay Rubin, and Making it So by Sir Patrick Stewart.
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More books (and other things) we are looking forward to in 2024. Books mentioned on this episode: There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum and translated by Shanna Tan, A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal, Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler, Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate by Karuho Shiina, A Vicious Game by Melissa Blair, Destroy the Day by Brigid Kemmerer, The Invisible Hotel by Yeji Y. Ham, and Butter by Asako Yuzuki and translated by Polly Barton.
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We continue our countdown to our favourite books of 2023. What are the best books you have read this year?
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We have read sooo many great books this year, and these are our favourite books of 2023. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.
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The Keep It Fictional Librarians reveal their guilty pleasure reads. What do you read that you are a bit embarassed to admit that you love? Books mentioned on this episode: Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, The Wrong Girl by C.J. Archer, Make It Stick by Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel, and Peter C. Brown, and Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano.
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Introducing our new book friend, Emma! As per the tradition of Keep It Fictional, we read and talked about a book from Emma's Top Ten List, and found out a bit more about what type of reader Emma is. Books mentioned on this episode: Himawari House by Harmony Becker, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Bleach by Tite Kubo, and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.
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Aside from suggesting underappreciated books more people should read, Corene and Virginia also talk about the elusive bestseller list, the lesser-known types of picnics, the unforgiveable "crimes" of Kenneth Branagh, and this thing called baseball.
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We bring you our CanLit book suggestions today if you'd like to join in the "I Read Canadian Day" celebration this year. Also, Sadie has a diabolical "Would You Rather" question for her book friends and all of you listeners out there. Books mentioned on this episode: Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels, Tell Me Pleasant Things about Immortality by Lindsay Wong, Poison Town by Elyssa Campbell, and The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart.
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Al, Sadie, and Virginia face their fears by choosing a book that has something that scares them in it. Books mentioned on this episode: Weyward by Emilia Hart, The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector, translated by Idra Novey, and Mister Magic by Kiersten White.
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Today we took book recommendations from other podcasts we listen to. Books mentioned on this episode: The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat, Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd, and Women and Other Monsters:Building a New Mythology by Jess Zimmerman.
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We highlight some recent books by authors of Latin American descent on today's episode, as we celebrate the Latin American community and their contributions in October. Bonus: A revelation that is not for the faint of heart about one of our book friends. Books mentioned on this episode: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez, A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens by Raul Palma, The Holy Days of Gregorio Pasos by Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya, and Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses.
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On our 157th episode, the lucky numbers are: 5, 7, and 11. We also discussed our ideal page length for a book. Books mentioned on this episode: The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa by Stephen Buoro, Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano, Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton, and The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley.
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As Thanksgiving is upon us, we dedicate this episode to authors we are thankful for: Lavie Tidhar, Julie Kagawa, Ursula K. Le Guin, and the Interlibrary Loan system.
Books mentioned on this episode: The Circumference of the World by Lavie Tidhar, Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, and The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art by Don Thompson.
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We hope you would pick up a book by an Indigenous author this September and take some time to look through the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Books mentioned on this episode: A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair, Nishga by Jordan Abel, Manikanetish by Naomi Fontaine, translated by Luise von Flotow, and The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.
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This episode is dedicated to all the amazing translators out there who made it possible for readers of all languages to read stories from around the world. Thank you so much for all your hard work! Please pick up a book in translation this month!
Books mentioned on this National Translation Month episode: The Plotters by Un-Su Kim and translated by Sora Kim-Russell, Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri and translated by Morgan Giles, Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree and translated by Daisy Rockwell, and The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and translated by Lucia Graves.
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Dive into the world of art with Al, Corene, and Sadie in today's episode. Let's see what their books say about art, and what their favourite piece of art is. Books mentioned on this episode: Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore, Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman and John Shiffman, and The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova.
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We've got more upcoming Fall releases to introduce you to, along with some unpaid product placements. Books mentioned on this episode: What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, tranlsated by Alison Watts, The Owl Cries by Hye-young Pyun, translated by Sora Kim-Russell, The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn, The Tatami Time Machine Blues by Tomihiko Morimi, translated by Emily Balistrieri, The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth, Thieves' Gambit by Kayvion Lewis, Jewish Space Lasers by Mike Rothschild, and The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu.
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Crunchy leaves, beautiful fall colours, pumpkin patches, and more new books. Al, Corene, Sadie, and Virginia talk about the upcoming releases they are looking forward to reading this Fall. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week. Books mentioned on this episode: Sleep No More / The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire, The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab, From the Lost and Found Department by Joy Kogawa, The Secret Life of Insects and Other Stories by Bernardo Esquinca, The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker, A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand, The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu, System Collapse by Martha Wells, Rouge by Mona Awad, The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto, The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore, and Organ Meats by K-Ming Chang.
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We are celebrating our 150th episode this week by talking about ten books that have made us the reader we are today. Thank you, listeners, for spending your time with us in the last three years, and we look forward to sharing more book suggestions with you in the future.
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We are going to be brave today and tackle a book that intimates us. Books mentioned on this episode: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, and Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges.
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Fiona, our resident CanCon and audiobook champion, is heading off to another amazing adventure! Thank you for all the book suggestions in the last few years, Fiona. You have inspired all of us on the podcast to read widely and think deeply about our reading. We wish you all the best! Here's our sendoff, with some books (of course): Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets by Kyo Maclear, Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver, Watership Down by Richard Adams, and Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body by Megan Milks.
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We have book recommendations for fans of the TV shows Yellowjackets, Only Murder in the Building, Stranger Things, 99 Day Fiancé (and the other 17 sequels and spin-offs), and Never Have I Ever. Books mentioned on this show: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett, Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber, Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, and Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier.
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Go places with Keep It Fictional! We are heading to Upstate New York, London, Nevada, Baghdad, and Berlin. Won't you join us?
Books mentioned on this episode: Murder at Teal's Pond: Hazel Drew and the Mystery That Inspired Twin Peaks by David Bushman and Mark T. Givens, Berlin by Bea Setton, The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner, Nevada by Imogen Binnie, and Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, translated by Jonathan Wright.
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Do you need more than one word to capture the essence of a story? We'll find out today with our one-word titled books. Books mentioned on this episode: Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew, Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter, Inland by Téa Obreht, and Luminous by Mara Rutherford.
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Explore some favourite tropes of ours in this episode: found families, secret magic, unreliable narrators, and fake dating. Books mentioned on this episode: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman, Too Much Like Lightning by Ada Palmer, True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling, and Frankly in Love by David Yoon.
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What's in a name? Today we picked books that have a person's name in the title, bringing you Jamaican-Trinidadian folktales, ghosts and scavenger hunt, comic books with iguanas and coyotes, and mechs that appreciate music. Books mentioned on this episode: The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts by Soraya Palmer, Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia, The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong, and August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White.
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Take a break from reality and step into an alternate universe. Your travel guides today include Allison, Sadie, Virginia, and a special guest! Books mentioned on this episode: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin Philip Gabriel, A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, Famous Men Who Never Lived by K Chess, and Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine.
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Should celebrities become authors and write novels or should they stay in their lane? That's the question we try to answer in today's Keep It Fictional. Which celebrity wrote the most bananapants book? Who put on a tween girl voice for the audiobook? Whose work was labeled as "aggressively bland"?
Books mentioned on this episode: The Reservoir by David Duchovny, Elixir by Hilary Duff, Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks, Devil House by John Darnielle, and Holy Cow by David Duchovny.
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Celebrate Pride with books from LGBTQ+ authors this month and beyond. Books mentioned on this episode: An Archive of Brightness by Kelsey Socha, The Big Reveal by Sasha Velour, Delhi: Communities of Belonging by Sunil Gupta and Charan Singh, Without You by Anthony Rapp, and Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. (Wait, do we have more non-fiction today than fiction? That may be a Keep It Fictional first).
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Listeners know that Corene, Fiona, Sadie, and Virginia all like different kinds of books, so what will happen if they are "forced" to read the same book? Find out on this "buddy read" episode. Also, we find out whom among the staff at Port Moody Public Library do they trust when it comes to book recommendations.
Who on our staff may be your book twin? Check out the Staff Picks shelves.
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Get to know Allison from their favourite books, and of course, from their answers to some existential questions. Books mentioned on this episode: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, Letter Perfect by David Sacks, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, and The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman.
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Things are about to get weird on Keep It Fictional. This week, we bring you sentient sourdough, sentient car, sentient train, sentient robot moose, sentient gingerbread people, and more! Books mentioned on this episode: A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, Christine by Stephen King, and The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz.
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May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada. Here at Keep It Fictional we want to take the opportunity to express our thanks for all the opportunities to read books written by authors of Asian descent. Thank you for your great contribution to literature. Books mentioned on this episode: A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin, I Went To See My Father by Shin Kyung-sook, translated by Anton Hur, The Dwellers by Eliza Victoria, and People Change by Vivek Shraya.
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We finish off talking about our anticipated reads of May to August 2023, and bid farewell to Mark, one of our dear book friends. Thank you, Mark, for all your thought-provoking book recommendations in the past year. We will try to carry the torch by raising awareness of lesser known, translated works from around the world.
Books mentioned on this episode: Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs, The Politics and Poetics of Everyday Life by Kristin Ross, Oh God, The Sun Goes by David Connor, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa, The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut, Kappa by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, translated by Lisa Hoffman-Kuroda and Allison Markin Powell, The Forest Brims Over by Maru Ayase, translated by Haydn Trowell, Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Riku Onda, translated by Philip Gabriel, and Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai, translated by Polly Barton.
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Your TBR is about to get longer! This and next week, we will tell you about 25 very on-brand upcoming releases we are looking forward to reading. Books mentioned on this episode: The Stronghold by Dino Buzzati and translated by Lawrence Venuti, The Book that Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence, The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera, Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See, Crooked Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue, Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi, Goodbye, Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin, The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong, The Water Outlaws by SL Huang, 24 Hours with Gaspar by Sabda Armandio and translated by Lara Norgaard, Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong, and Whale by Cheon Myeong-kwan and translated by Chi-Young Kim.
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Today's episode is all about giving a shoutout to those books that were nominated for an award, didn't win, but should have, in our opinion. Get ready for epic road trips, missing bodies, alternative realities, and true crime podcasts. Books mentioned on this episode: Less is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer, The Trees by Percival Everett, The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi, translated by Emily Balistrieri, and I Hope You're Listening by Tom Ryan.
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The tables have turned! This week, instead of recommending books we have read and loved, we had to read books someone else has recommended to us. These books include a melancholic read with not much happening, a thrift shop with eccentric customers, a queen who doesn't want to die, and a detective taking witness statements from ghosts. Are the Keep It Fictional librarians good at taking recommendations? Let's find out. Books mentioned on this show: At Dusk by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell, The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Allison Markin Powell, The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge, and Midnight Riot (or Rivers of London in the U.K.) by Ben Aaronovitch.
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We discovered that one of our book friends loves a good betrayal, thankfully only in books and not in real life. Join us this week as we try to figure out who will be the traitor among our books. Books mentioned this week: The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn, The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud, and Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe.
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Get ready to feel all the emotions with our poetry and novel-in-verse recommendations. Books mentioned in this episode: Deep Wheel Orcadia by Harry Josephine Giles, A Really Good Brown Girl by Marilyn Dumont, The Tradition by Jericho Brown, and Cluster by Souvankham Thammavongsa.
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What should be a pleasant episode about spring and plants and fungi turns out to be stuff of nightmare for one of our book friends. Books mentioned on this episode: Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari, This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron, The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, and A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by László Krasznahorkai.
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Find out what our Keep It Fictional librarians think of this year's CBC Canada Reads' contenders: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Greenwood by Michael Christie, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah, and Ducks by Kate Beaton. The debate will take place from March 27 to 30. Let's see if we have guessed the right winner.
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What kind of superpowers would you want? How about the ones our characters have in the books we read for this week's episode? Shapeshifting, immortality, ability to fly, superstrength, and...Math? Books mentioned on this episode: Wildseed by Octavia E. Butler, Faith by Julie Murphy, Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson, Zero Sum Game by S.L. Huang, and Dreadnaught by April Daniels.
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March is National Small Press Month. We want to give a shout out to all the amazing small publishers out there that make our book world so much richer and more interesting! Thank you. We encourage you to pick up a book from a small press this month, and every month of the year. Books mentioned in this episode: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (Algonquin), Dislocations by Sylvia Molloy (Charco Press), Just Jen: Thriving Through Multiple Sclerosis by Jen Powley (Fernwood), and Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth (Graywolf Press).
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We say goodbye and good luck to Gabriel, one of our book friends who has been with the Port Moody Public Library for the last year. Thank you for all the book (and video game) recommendations, Gabriel. Books mentioned on this episode: Bioshock: Rapture by John Shirley, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Vicious by V.E. Schwab, Minecraft: The Dragon by Nicky Drayden, and Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner.
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This week (February 19 - 25, 2023) is Freedom to Read Week in Canada. Our Keep It Fictional librarians are here to talk about banned books that people don't want you to get your hands on. Show your support and commitment to freedom to read by picking up and reading a banned book.
Books mentioned on this episode: More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera, All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe.
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Our librarians recommend fantastic reads by Black authors for every month of the year. Books mentioned on this episode: Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions by Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi, The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr, We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin, What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J. A. Chancy, and Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia.
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Get ready for some earworms! In today's Keep It Fictional Book Chat, Corene, Fiona, Mark, and Virginia talk about books that have the same titles as songs. Also on the episode, a revelation that blew Corene's mind. 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa, You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo, Girl in a Coma by Douglas Coupland, and She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen.
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This episode provides some incentives for our librarians to pick up a book by an author they have always meant to read. And with Sadie back, a topic that hurts Corene's brain resurfaces: buying series. Books mentioned on this episode: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Ravelstein by Saul Bellow, Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany, and Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer.
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Are you a fan of books with multiple perspectives? Corene, Fiona, Mark, and Virginia have recommendations for you in today's Keep It Fictional Book Chat. Romance, Frankenstein retelling, swimming pools, and reality shows are on the menu today. Books mentioned on this episode: The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka, Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai, What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez, and Love From Mecca to Medina by S K Ali.
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The Keep It Fictional librarians challenge themselves to read a loooong book. Are you a fan of a doorstopper? What is the longest book you've read?
Books mentioned on this episode: Books mentioned on this episode: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (different translations available), Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez and translated by Megan McDowell, Lady Joker by Kaoru Takamura and translated by Allison Markin Powell and Marie Iida, and A Perfect Spy by John le Carré.
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In case your To-Be-Read (TBR) list is not long enough already, we have more books to suggest to you. Fiona, Gabriel, and Mark talk about the books coming out from January to April that they are looking forward to reading. Memoirs, mysteries, haunted houses, shogi, guerilla gardening group, and more. Let us know what books you are excited to read!
Books mentioned on this episode: Stravaging "Strange" by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, translated by Joanne Turnbull, Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo, Miss Major Speaks by Toshio Meronek and Miss Major, Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy, The Wounded Age and Eastern Tales by Ferit Edgü and translated by Aron Aji, Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, March Comes In Like a Lion by Chica Umino, Central Places by Delia Cai, After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz, River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer, How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling, Sink by Joseph Earl Thomas, Wolfish by Erica Berry, and The Villa by Rachel Hawkins.
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Happy New Year, book lovers! 2023 is here, and Corene and Virginia are putting together their lists of upcoming books to read. This season's lineup includes murder, more murder, mysterious suitcase, French elf, anxious robot vacuum, dark academia, and chicken soup. Books mentioned on this episode:
- Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
- The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
- Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai
- In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
- Greek Lessons by Han Kang
- Lone Women by Victor LaValle
- I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
- Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
- Mill House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
- The Thing in Snow by Sean Adams
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We continue counting down to our top five favourite books of 2022. Books mentioned on this episode: Internet for the People by Ben Tarnoff, Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi, translated by David Boyd and Lucy North, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz, How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis, Blue Period (Series) by Tsubasa Yamaguchi, Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk, The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez, Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler, Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada and translated by Margaret Mitsutani, Idol Burning by Rin Usami and translated by Asa Yoneda, Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch, Violeta by Isabel Allende and translated by Frances Riddle.
Thank you so much for spending the last year with us, book lovers. Keep It Fictional will see you in 2023. Have a great holiday and a happy new year!
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We count down to our top five favourite books of 2022 and thank all the authors who have given us wonderful stories all year long. Books mentioned on this episode: Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh, Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh, What World is This? by Judith Butler, Haven by Emma Donoghue, Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo, Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo, and The Employees by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken.
Stay tuned for Part Two of our countdown next week.
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As Fiona said, we often read for comfort, but for this episode, we all have to step out of our comfort zone to read a genre we usually don't read. What would be outside your wheelhouse that you'd like to give it a try?
Books mentioned on this episode: 77 Fragments of a Familiar Ruin: Poems by Thomas King, The Lady Killer by Masako Togawa, God's Country by Percival Everett, and Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power by Pam Grossman.
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Our assignment for this episode is to read a book by an author with a first name that appears on the list of most popular baby names of the year we were born. We ended up with a Daniel, a David, a Jennifer, and a Juan. What books may be on your list?
Books mentioned on this episode: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop and translated by Anna Moschovakis, The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman, and Horizontal Vertigo: A City Called Mexico by Juan Villoro and translated by Alfred MacAdam.
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Is there such a thing as a perfect crime? The locked room mystery books we read for today's episodes tried to create one, but could you crack the case before the book ends? Books mentioned on this episode: Reprieve by James Han Mattson, One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, Lavender House by Lev A.C. Rosen, Malice by Keigo Higashino, translated by Alexander O. Smith with Elye Alexander, and The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley.
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We've explored books that have been adapted into movies and TV shows on a previous episode. Today, we flipped the table around and talked about novelizations of video games, movies, and TV shows. Books mentioned on this episode: God of War by Chris Roberson and Tony Parker, By the Time You Read This I'll Be Gone (Murder, She Wrote) by Stephanie Kuehn, Rapture (Bioshock) by John Shirley, The Rise of Kiyoshi (Avatar, the Last Airbender) by F.C. Yee, and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko.
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To cheer on everyone participating in NaNoWriMo this November, we decided to dedicate an episode to books about writers and the art of writing. Books mentioned in this episode: Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, Greenland by David Santos Donaldson, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, and The Prisoner by Hwang Sok-yong (translated by Anton Hur and Sora Kim-Russell).
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November 2 is I Read Canadian Day. Pick up a book by a Canadian author and celebrate the rich diversity of literature in this country. We recommend: Len & Cub by Dusty Green and Meredith Batt, We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama, Mocassin Square Gardens by Richard Van Camp, The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur, and Women Talking by Miriam Toews.
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It's almost Halloween and we thought we would talk about some of our recent reads that involve different kinds of monsters and creatures, in addition to our strong feelings towards Twilight, and... Sweden? Books mentioned in this episode: Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki, Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O'Meara, and Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo.
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Keep It Fictional Goes Non-Fiction today.
If there is a topic you're interested in, chances are, there is a book about it. At least that's what we've found as we explore niche subjects we are passionate about (and concluded that we are all nerds). Books mentioned on this episode: Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix, Atlas of the European Novel: 1800-1900 by Franco Moretti, Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie, and A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie by Kathryn Harkup.
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In today's episode, we offer you five different contests you can compete in. Which one would you choose, and who will reign supreme? Books mentioned in this episode: The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky, Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz, Hide by Kiersten White, House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess, and The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar.
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Let these books transport you to the Victorian Times. You will also learn some delightful Victorian slang terms. Books mentioned on this episode: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, Moriarty the Patriot written by Ryosuke Takeuchi and art by Hikaru Miyoshi, The Gentleman by Forrest Leo, and A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee.
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September is National Translation Month. We want to take this opportunity to thank all the translators who make literature from around the world accessible to us. We are so grateful for all the work you do! 🙏
Books mentioned on this episode: Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi and translated by David Boyd and Lucy North, All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami and translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd, Life Ceremony:Stories by Sayaka Murata and translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, and Journey by Moonlight by Antel Szerb and translated by Len Rix.
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Our Keep It Fictional librarians celebrate this special month by highlighting some of our favourite books by authors from Latin American and South American countries, and writers of the diaspora. We also have some strong feelings about taking "tacky" touristy photos. Books mentioned on the episode: Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Gordo by Jaime Cortez, Reputations by Juan Gabriel Vásquez, and Violeta by Isabel Allende.
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Set sail for adventure and treasure with the books Fiona, Mark, and Virginia brought to our Keep It Fictional episode today. Books mentioned: The House of Rust by Khadija Abdalla Bajaber, Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C. S. Forester, and The Vinland Sagas.
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It's Back to School week and the Keep It Fictional Librarians found themselves quenching their thirst for knowledge with some dark academia books, wondering what they are willing to do to get free tuition. Books mentioned on this episode: The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, Babel by R.F. Kuang, The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake, and Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas.
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It's our 100th episode! We celebrated this milestone by reading a "secret santa" book, which prompted us to contemplate questions like "have you ever considered your future as a pickle?", or "am I perhaps an octopus?" Books mentioned on this episode: Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper, The Emissary by Yoko Tawada, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, Nobody Cries at Bingo by Dawn Dumont.
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We continue to gush about the many amazing Fall 2022 releases that we can't wait to get our hands on. Now let's see how many Keep It FIctional Bingo Board categories you can cross off. Books mentioned on this episode: Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen, The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi, African Risen edited by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Sheree Thomas, and Zelda Knight, Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth, The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp, Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse, Love from Mecca to Medina by S.K.Ali, Saha by Cho Nam-Joo, Hellsans by Ever Dundas, and Lovely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura.
ICYMI: Most Anticipated Fall 2022 Books (Part 1)
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New Fall book releases, we are ready for ya! See what Corene, Fiona, Gabriel, Mark, and Virginia are looking forward to reading. Parallel universe, old man with a bag, worms, murder, existential crisis, and more. Books mentioned on this episode: Kilometre 101 by Maxim Osipov, Leech by Hiron Ennes, Self-Portrait with Nothing by Aimee Pokwatka, The Sunbearer Trial by Aiden Thomas, I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee, A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo, The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler, Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott, Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami, Jackal by Erin E. Adams, OUr Shadows Have Claws by Amp, aro Ortiz and Yamile Saied Mendez, A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt, Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk, Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell, and Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty.
Join us next week for part two.
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Suit up and get ready to dive into the immersive, melodramatic, character-driven world of space opera! Books mentioned on this episode: A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers, Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell, Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott, Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee, and An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon.
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Creatures made of paper coming alive. A magical mathematical formula that takes away emotions. A toilet baby?!? These are just some of the fantastic stories we read this week from our short story collections. Are you a fan of short stories?
Books mentioned on this episode: The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah, and Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur.
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Go bananas! Get ready for some strange, bizarre, and surreal tales. Books mentioned on this episode: My Volcano by John Elizabeth Stinzi, The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales, Modelland by Tyra Banks, The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino, and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.
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Take some real historical figures and throw them into a fictional world. What would you get? These five amazing books: A Clash of Steel by CB Lee, Stoker's Wilde by Melissa Prusi and Steven Hopstaken, The Twilight World by Werner Herzog, See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt, and Sudden Death by Álvaro Enrigue.
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It's absolutely delightful when finding one book leads you to another book, and another book, and another book. In this Keep It Fictional episode, we talked about the rabbit holes we have been in and a book we discovered while we were there. Books mentioned in this episode: The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli (translated by Christina MacSweeney), My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams, and The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke.
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Summer is here and Gabriel has asked all their book friends to go exploring in this episode of Keep It Fictional. Books mentioned in this episode: The Hike by Drew Magary, Atlas Obscura by by Dylan Thuras, Ella Morton, and Joshua Foer, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui, and Eighty Days by A.C. Esguerra.
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Even if you are not a huge sports fan, we hope you will enjoy these sports fiction and non-fiction. Books mentioned in this episode: Real by Takehiko Inoue, Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey by Knowing Where to Look by Greg Wyshynski, and Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler.
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June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. Read a book by an indigenous author along with our Keep It Fictional librarians. They recommend: The Björkan Sagas by Harold R. Johnson, Medicine River by Thomas King, The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich, Borders by Thomas King, and Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger.
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Celebrate Pride Month with the Keep It Fictional Librarians from the Port Moody Public Library! Books mentioned on this episode: Gender Failure by Ivan Coyote and Rae Spoon, Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman, The Siren Queen by Nghi Vo, and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield.
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We are so excited to introduce you to Port Moody Public Library's Adult Summer Reading Club in this episode. Learn more about our "Book of Life" game and what the Keep It Fictional librarians are going to read for their game. More information about our reading club at https://portmoodylibrary.ca/BookOfLife
Books mentioned in this episode: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura, Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada, Defenestrate by Renee Branum, and A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin.
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As part of our mini-series where we read books on a topic that we tend to associate with one of our book friends, this week, we dive into one of Corene's interests: cults. Books mentioned in this episode: Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura, The Maidens by Alex Michaelides, The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn, and Salvation Day by Kali Wallace.
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In the upcoming episodes, we will be reading books on a topic that we tend to associate with one of our book friends. First up, Fiona and books about nuns (and other clergy). Books mentioned in this episode: One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters, Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette, Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather, and The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier.
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Buckets of spiders. Talking animals. Folk songs about bad people. Corene, Fiona, Gabriel, Mark, and Virginia recommends a Southern Gothic. Books mentioned on this episode: The Cutting Season by Attica Locke, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock, A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs, and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin.
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May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada. Join us in celebrating the many wonderful voices. Also, there is a point to short stories, and Gabriel draws the line at centipede gaming chairs. Books mentioned in this episode: In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar, Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, and Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Z. Hossain.
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We have another new book friend! Welcome Mark to the Keep It Fictional family. Let us introduce you to Mark by telling you about one of his favourite books..with very strong feelings. Books mentioned on this episode: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami, and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.
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An episode Fiona has been waiting for: Family Sagas. Do we have some creative interpretations of the theme? You betcha! Books mentioned in this episode: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova, and Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin. (And kudos to Gabriel for trying to explain the gazillion narratives in Cloud Atlas!)
p.s. We apologize that this episode sounds a bit different from the others. We lost our original recording so we had to re-record separately. It's not as fun when we don't get to sit with the rest of the KIF book family.
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Welcome to Part 2 of our Most Anticipated Reads of 2022 (May - August) episode. We can't wait for these books to arrive in the next few months: Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo, The Sisters Sputnik by Terri Favro, Death by Landscape by Elvia Wilk, The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean, Cult Classic by Sloan Crosley, The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, and Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen.
Be sure to check out Part 1 of our show.
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We're here to add books to your TBR. Check out the upcoming titles Corene, Fiona, Gabriel, and Virginia are looking forward to reading. Stories may include heists, enemies-to-lovers, mushroom foraging, and blood magic. Books mentioned in this episode: The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas, Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler, The Witchery by S. Isabelle, The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez, The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope, Haven by Emma Donoghue, The Hangman Feeds the Jackal by Coy Hall, Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane, Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club by Roselle Lim, Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee, and The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia.
Stay tuned for Part 2 next week. Yes, we have more books for you!
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To celebrate Sadie and Liz, our two book friends who have recently become parents, the four of us decided to tackle a book about parenthood. We feel like we may have failed this assignment a little bit...Books mentioned in this episode: I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins, Nightwing Vol. 1: Better Than Batman by Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez, With Teeth by Kristen Arnett, and The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez.
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And the award goes to... In today's episode, we celebrate the fantastic books that have won literary awards. Books mentioned: The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris, They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed, and Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire.
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Judge the book by its cover or judge the book by its title? We're doing the latter today by talking about books that we picked up because they have got an amazing titles. You will also get a lesson on the right way to say the name "Thrawn". Books mentioned in this episode: Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden, The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn, and The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki.
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CBC's Canada Reads is an annual literary event Port Moody Public Library staff and patrons look forward to every year. In this episode, Corene, Fiona, Gabriel, and Virginia each champions one of the 2022 contenders to be the "one book to connect us"...all (a very LOTR sounding theme?) Books mentioned in this episode: Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, Life In the City of Dirty Water by Clayton Thomas-Müller, What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad, and Washington Black by Esi Edugyan. (There are only four of us so we weren't able to talk about Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez.)
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This week definitely feels like we're living in one of the apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic books we shared in this episode. This is Liz's last episode with us before she goes on her temporary leave. What will the world of Keep It Fictional be like after this? Tune in next week to find out. Books mentioned in this episode: Severance by Ling Ma, Familiar Things by Hwang Sok-yong, Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, Into the Forest by Jean Hegland, and Dread Nation by Justina Ireland.
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Whether you have worked in a cubicle or not, we think you'll enjoy these books set in an office (or sometimes, a nightmare office). Books mentioned on this episode: The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips, Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix, and There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura, translated by Polly Barton.
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Here at Keep It Fictional, we always aim to amplify different marginalized voices, no matter what time of the year it is. During this Black History Month, we want to dedicate an episode to celebrate stories by black authors. We urge you to pick up a book by a black author too. Here are the books we share on this episode: Frying Plaintain by Zalika Reid-Benta, Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Jason Griffin, Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL's First Black Player by Willie O'Ree and Michael McKinley.
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We welcome Gabriel, a new book friend to our Keep It Fictional podcast, by reading a book on their top ten list. Books mentioned on this episode: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Tsubasa by CLAMP.
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How many times have you looked at your phone today? In today's episode, we share books that explore the impact of technology. Books mentioned in this episode: Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams, Feed by M.T. Anderson, Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida, Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi, and Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier.
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Take a chance...on a debut novel and a new author. Corene, Liz, and Virginia share some fantastic debuts in today's episode. Books mentioned: The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund, The Korean Vegan Cookbook by Joanne Lee Molinaro, and Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez.
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It's Liz's and Virginia's turn to tell you about the books coming out in the first four months of 2022 that they are looking forward to reading. Things may get a bit dark here as you may expect from those two. Books mentioned in this episode: Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka, Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo, Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller, Engines of Empire by R.S. Ford, Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T.L. Huchu, A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn, Woman Eating by Claire Kohda, and And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin.
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New Year, New Books! Corene and Fiona share the titles they are most looking forward to reading in the next few months. Books mentioned in this episode: The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder, Mindful of Murder by Susan Juby, Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu, The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang, The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo, Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li, Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel, and The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James. Tune in next week for Part 2 of this series.
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How do you do a vibe check to see if you will likely enjoy a book or not? Read the blurbs by other authors on the book. In today's episode, Corene, Liz, and Virginia talk about books we read because they were blurbed or recommended by authors we like and respect. Books mentioned: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, Version Control by Dexter Palmer, and Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
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Happy New Year, listeners! To a brand new year of reading! What kinds of books do you like to read during winter? In today's book chat, we talk about some wintery reads for us. Very timely, since it's pretty snowy over the holidays in Vancouver, BC. Books mentioned in this episode: Melmoth by Sarah Perry, Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, and The Second Bell by Gabriela Houston.
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Last week, Corene, Fiona, Liz, and Virginia talked about their number three to five favourite books of 2021. This week, we revealed our top two picks of the year, with a shocking turn of events.
Thank you once again to all our listeners for supporting our podcast. We'll be taking a holiday break for the rest of the year. See you in 2022! Happy Reading!
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We're counting down to our top five picks of books published in 2021. What books captured our hearts and made a difference in our lives this year? Find out in this special two-part series.
Be sure to tune in next week for part two.
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We give a sneak preview to our upcoming Social Justice Book Club Sets at the Port Moody Public Library by talking about some of the titles available. Books mentioned in this episode: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph, and Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt. (Plus, a bonus round of shout-out picks: From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way by Jesse Thistle, Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong, and Wishes by Muon Thi Van and Victo Ngai).
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In this episode, we challenge ourselves to go read the book that has been on our To-Be-Read (TBR) list for the longest. Do you keep a TBR? How often do you add or purge books from it? Books mentioned in this episode: Waiting by Ha Jin, Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher, Disappearing Moon Cafe by Sky Lee, and Porcupines and China Dolls by Robert Arthur Alexie.
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Non-fiction fans, this episode is for you! Today, we bring you some wild true stories (or creative interpretations of the theme). Books mentioned in this episode: The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything by Mike Rothschild, The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South by Chip Jones, Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Pauline Dakin, and Black Heroes of the Wild West: Featuring Stagecoach Mary, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons by James Otis Smith and Kadir Nelson.
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So, part of our job is to suggest books to library patrons, but do we take recommendations ourselves? In this episode, we had to read a book one of our book friends talked about on the show. Which book did Corene, Fiona, and Virginia pick? Well well well, the choices may surprise you. Let's just say, eclipses! Books mentioned in this show: Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith, Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater, and Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu.
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It's the perfect time of the year to warm and cozy up with a cozy mystery with a good punny title (unless you're Virginia). Books mentioned in this episode: Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown, Reservation for Murder by June Wright, By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates, and Beyond a Reasonable Stout by Ellie Alexander.
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Today's word of the day is "Halloweeny". Please use it in a book. Books mentioned in this episode: The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher, Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, Ophie's Ghosts by Justina Ireland, When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen, and Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung.
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For this episode, Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia have to read a book with a colour in the title. Did everyone pick a title that corresponds to their favourite colour? Books mentioned in this episode: The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair, Red Fox Road by Frances Greenslade, Black Mad Wheel by Josh Malerman, Black Water Sister by Zen Cho, and Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley.
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We have another episode of retellings for you. This time, we have chosen books that are inspired by non-Western mythology and stories. Books mentioned in this episode: A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna, The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen, Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola, Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge, and The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna.
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Get a short primer on the wonderful world of manga and check out some of our favourites. Books mentioned in this episode: Boys Run the Riot by Keito Gaku, A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai, The Way of the Househusband by Kousuke Oono, Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo, and BL Metamorphosis by Kaori Tsurutani.
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We all love a good surprise and these books definitely pleasantly surprised us. What books Corene, Fiona, Sadie, and Virginia ended up liking a lot more than we think we would? Books mentioned in this episode: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams, Almond by Sohn Won-Pyung, Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin.
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No matter what your feelings are about the monarchy, these five books, featuring all kinds of royal families, do deserve a crown. Books mentioned in this episode: Acacia by David Anthony Durham, Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte, The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett, The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan, and The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.
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We continue our preview show of books we are excited to read this Fall, and we talk about our reading goals for the rest of the year. Books mentioned in this episode: Nice Girl by Catherine Dang, Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Win Me Something by Kyle Lucia Wu, The Corpse Queen by Heather Herrman, Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth by Wole Soyinka, The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling, Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline, Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong, Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn, and Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.
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These are the books that are going to be part of our reading life this Fall. What titles are you looking forward to reading? Books mentioned in this episode: The Village of Eight Graves by Seishi Yokomizo, A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C. B. Lee, Ski Weekend by Rektok Ross, The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker, Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events by Brent Spiner, The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki, The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley, This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno, How to Marry Keanu Reeves in 90 Days by K. M. Jackson, Act Cool by Tobly McSmith, Trashlands by Alison Stine, The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke, and Destroyer of Light by Jennifer Marie Brissett.
Be sure to tune in next week for Part Two of our Most Anticipated Reads of Fall 2021.
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For our 50th episode, we each share a book we feel is our quintessential read.
Thank you so much for supporting this podcast! To celebrate this milestone, we are doing a prize draw for all the listeners of this podcast. Tell us about your favourite Keep It Fictional episode or moment, or a book you've read because of this podcast. Email askthelibrary@portmoody.ca by September 7, 2021 and we'll enter your name into a prize draw.
Books mentioned in this episode (can you guess who picked which book?): This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, Book Love by Debbie Tung, Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith, and Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder.
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Join Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia for an episode about all kinds of romance and love stories, with a mini TED talk by Corene. Books mentioned in this episode: Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey, Stay Gold by Tobly McSmith, and Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.
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Last one of our special series of episodes where we challenge ourselves to find a book that is not in their wheelhouse for one of our book friends. Let's see how Virginia liked the books suggested by Corene, Fiona, Liz, and Sadie. Books mentioned in this episode: History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera, Amber and Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz, The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz, and Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez.
Listen to the rest of the series:
- We Recommend to Corene
- We Recommend to Sadie
- We Recommend to Liz
- We Recommend to Fiona
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Explore collections of short stories with Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia. Books mentioned in this episode: Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection edited by Hope Nicholson, Lonely Planet Better than Fiction 2: True adventures from 30 great fiction writers edited by Don George, Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery edited by Christopher Golden and Rachel Autumn Deering, Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession edited by Sarah Weinman, and Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite edited by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker.
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It's a Fiona-pa-looza. It's Fiona-ganza. It's a Fiona-gala. It's Fiona-fest. Find out what books we have each suggested to Fiona, and whether they enjoyed them or not. Books mentioned in this episode: The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design by Kurt Kohlstedt and Roman Mars, A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore, and The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror by Daniel M. Lavery.
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Summer is the time we often think about traveling. Maybe these five books will give you some ideas as you envision what your future vacation may look like. Books mentioned in this episode: Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle, Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, No Exit by Taylor Adams, and Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali.
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Our special guest of honour today is Liz. Hear about the books other Keep It Fictional hosts have recommended to her and what she thought about them. Books mentioned in this episode: Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga, Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse, My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier, and The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason.
Our first two episodes in this special summer series:
- We Recommend to Corene
- We Recommend to Sadie
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Looking for books that defy traditions of what a novel should be? Try these out! Books mentioned in this episode: The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan, Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure by Ryan North, Multiple Choice by Alejandro Zambra and tr. by Megan McDowell, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and The Secret Path by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire.
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In this episode, we challenge ourselves to find a book that Sadie won't pick up on her own, but nonetheless, we think she may like it. Which book did Sadie end up reading? Books mentioned in this episode: Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis, Horseplay: My Time Undercover on the Granville Strip by Norm Boucher, All Systems Red by Martha Wells, and The Library Book by Susan Orlean.
Second episode of a special series of episodes we're doing this summer. Listen to the first episode, in which we suggest books to Corene.
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We celebrate and amplify Indigenous voices in this episode in the hope that reading the works of Indigenous authors will help strengthen the path to reconciliation, and that by acknowledging painful truths, empathy can flourish and pave the way for healing. Books mentioned: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse, Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot, Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction edited by Joshua Whitehead, and Powwow Summer by Nahanni Shingoose.
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In this episode, we are going to spotlight one of our book friends and suggest books to them. First up: Miss Corene. Which of our suggestions did she enjoy reading the most? Books mentioned in this episode: The Graybar Hotel by Curtis Dawkins, The Chai Factor by Farah Heron, Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau, We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry, and She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper.
First of a special series of episodes we're doing this summer. Be sure to tune in for the rest.
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Join us in celebrating amazing authors in the queer community. Did we all pick a non-fiction title? That is a first for our podcast. Books mentioned in this episode: Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom, How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess, Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi, and Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans. You can find more LGBTQ+ reads on the Port Moody Public Library website.
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The Adult and Teen Summer Reading Club is here at the Port Moody Public Library! We share the first room we're going to visit to uncover our clue and the first book we're going to read. You can learn more about our reading club at portmoodylibrary.ca/src. Books mentioned in this episode: The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez and translated by Natasha Wimmer, Winter Pasture by Li Juan and translated by Jack Hargreaves, Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome, Facing the Sun by Janice Lynn Mather, and Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala.
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Asian Heritage Month may be coming to a close, but let's keep uplifting #AAPI stories all year round. Books mentioned in this episode: Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, Spork by Kyo Maclear, Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu, Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal, and Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada.
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There are just so many great books by authors of Asian descent that we are back to suggest more titles for adults. Books mentioned in this episode: Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra, How to Pronounce Knife: Stories by Souvankham Thammavongsa, Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee, Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin, and Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong.
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This week, we highlight kids' and teen book by authors of Asian descent. Books mentioned in this episode: The Comeback by E.L. Shen, Midsummer's Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca, City of Secrets by Victoria Ying, Thao by Thao Lam, and The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco.
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May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada. We will be highlighting titles by authors of Asian descent this month. Books mentioned in this episode: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, Dragon Springs Road by Janie Chang, Women of the Silk of Gail Tsukiyama, and Paper Shadows by Wayson Choy.
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Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia continue to gush about books they are looking forward to reading this summer. Be sure to check out Part One. Books mentioned in this episode: The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin, Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia, The Very Nice Box by Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett, The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker, The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo, My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Grapham Jones, Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu, Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So, If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy, and Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
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Here are some books coming out in May-August 2021 we're excited to read. What books caught your eye? Books mentioned in this episode: The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, Pumpkin by Julie Murphy, Ranbow Milk by Paul Mendez, The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley, The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel, The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura, Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis, The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon, Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford, Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm, A Boring Wife Settles the Score by Marie-Renee Lavoie, The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson, and Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon.
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We're all animal lovers on this show, but none of us read a lot of books about animals. The stories are often more on the sad side, and we tend to avoid them, so please enjoy these animal and animal-adjacent books we have chosen for you. Books mentioned in this episode: Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton, Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat, The Woefield Poultry Collective by Susan Juby, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, and The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde.
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So many bodies. Who do you call when you need a mystery solved? Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia have some suggestions for amateur sleuths and private investigators for you. Books mentioned in this episode: Every Secret Thing by Emma Cole, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair, This Body is Not Big Enough for Both of Us by Edgar Cantero, and The Case of Windy Lake by Michael Hutchinson.
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There's definitely more that happens in these small towns than you might think. Books mentioned in this episode: The Bright Lands by John Fram, The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh, Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan, When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten, and A Killer in King's Cove by Iona Whishaw.
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We're totally judging a book by its cover in this episode, but don't let these bad covers (according to us) fool you. These are great books, we promise! Books mentioned: Crosshairs by Catherine Hernandez, Good Talk by Mira Jacob, Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong, To be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers, and The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie. R. King.
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Do we know what "magical realism" is? Are the books we picked for this episode really "magical realism"? Can Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia survive all the existential crises created by four rounds of "Would you rather..."? Find out in this episode. Books mentioned: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, Sharks in the Time of Saviours by Kawai Strong Washburn, The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley, and Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq.
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Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia talk about fiction and non-fiction that help us build empathy and learn more about the immigrant and refugee experience. Books mentioned in this episode: Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri, American Street by Ibi Zoboi, Displacement by Kiku Hughes, We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib, and The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio.
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Join us for another book chat, where we share our historical fiction picks, and our strong feelings about prequels and sequels. Books mentioned in this episode: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, The Birth House by Ami McKay, The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley, and Conjure Women by Afia Atakora.
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Are you a fan of movie and TV adaptations of books? Find out who is and who isn't on our panel. Regardless of our strong feelings, we did each read a book that is going to be adapted in 2021. Books mentioned in this episode: Set My Heart to Five by Simon Stephenson, Passing by Nella Larsen, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.
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February 17, 2021 is the first ever "I Read Canadian Day". The Keep It Fictional team celebrate it by sharing some of our recent favourite CanLit. We also play a round of "Are they Canadians?". See how many you can get right. Books mentioned in this episode: Hand Drawn Vancouver: Sketches of the City's Neighbourhoods, Buildings, and People by Emma FitzGerald, The Centaur's Wife by Amanda Leduc, Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim, and Home Body by Rupi Kaur.
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It's Corene's favourite topic! In this book chat, we talk about a variety of True Crime books for readers with different comfort levels. Books discussed in this episode: Tricky Vic by Greg Pizzoli, The Library Book by Susan Orlean, Murder by Milkshake by Eve Lazarus, The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale, and The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich.
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We are talking music today: biographies of musicians, novels about made-up bands, and thoughts on live concerts. Books mentioned in this episode: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni, illustrated by Thibault Balahy, White Tears by Hari Kunzru, The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough, and The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya.
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Our first episode for the shortest month of the year is fittingly about novellas. Even though we are talking about this short form of writing, we sure have a long debate about it. Books mentioned in this episode: The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho, The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark, The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang, The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman, and Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey.
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So many new books! We highlight more upcoming book releases we are looking forward to reading in the next few months. Books mentioned in this episode: The Witch's Heart by by Genevieve Gornichec, Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson, Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson, Road Allowance Era by Katherena Vermette, The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard, Outlawed by Anna North, Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard, Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, and Defekt by Nino Cipri.
Listen to Part 1.
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A brand new year means brand new books! We highlight some upcoming book releases that we are excited to read. Books mentioned in this episode: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, The Conductors by Nicole Glover, Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas, Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo, The Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter, In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce, Don't Call it a Cult by Sarah Berman, Delicates by Brenna Thummler, Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab, Persephone Station by Stina Leicht, My Brilliant Life by Ae-Ran Kim, Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli, Cursed Luck by Kelley Armstrong, and The Lost Village by Camilla Sten.
Join us next week for Part 2.
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Happy New Year, everyone! Today, Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie and Virginia talk about a Self Help book that they're reading to start their new year.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Skincare by Caroline Hirons
- Organize for a Fresh Start by Susan Fay West
- Do Nothing by Celeste Anne Headlee
- Supermaker by Jaime Schmidt
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
Happy Reading!
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We are counting down our top five 2020 reads. Find out which books made Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia's lists. Hope you'll add some of our favourites to your TBR for the new year. For our complete list of Staff Picks, please visit http://portmoodylibrary.ca/staffpicks2020
A big thank you to all the amazing authors that kept us going in 2020. Here's to another year of amazing books!
(Recorded on December 30)
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'Tis the season for cozy, heartwarming reads, served occasionally with a side of murder. Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia discussed books, favourite holiday food and drinks, and of course, argued about which is the best A Christmas Carol adaptation. Books mentioned in this episode: Hark! The Herald Angels Scream, an anthology edited by Christopher Golden, Happy Narwhalidays by Ben Clanton, Murder at the Mayfair Hotel by CJ Archer, Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi, and Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean.
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Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia talk about our favourite reimagined fairy tales, myths, classics...and Muppet's adaptations. Books mentioned in this episode: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Pride by Ibi Zoboi, and Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.
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Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia suggest graphic novels, mystery, science fiction, and fantasy books by black authors. Books mentioned in this episode: March by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett, The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden, A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney, and Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu.
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It's impossible to choose just one graphic novel to talk about, but we did it, just for you. We hope our suggestions showcase the variety of stories that are being told in this format. Books mentioned in this episode: Blankets, Nimona, The Best We Could Do, Yotsuba&!, and When Stars are Scattered.
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Warning: This episode may induce hunger. Books mentioned: Bloom, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, A Cook's Tour, and the Sin du Jour series.
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Do you judge a book by its cover? How do you feel about the colour blue? Corene, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia ponder these questions, and suggests great books with blue covers. Books mentioned in this episode: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee, and Finna by Nino Cipri.
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Thank you to all the wonderful translators out there that made these amazing books accessible to more readers! Books mentioned in this episode: The Memory Police, Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions, The Library of Shadows, My Brother's Husband, and An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good.
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We recommend great reads by LGBTQ+ authors. and find out Fiona's favourite book of all time. There may also be talk of cats. Books mentioned in this episode: Dark and Deepest Red, Jonny Appleseed, On a Sunbeam, and The House in the Cerulean Sea.
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The last week of October seems like the perfect time for a spooky read. Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia talk about their favourite horror novels and Halloween candies in this episode. Books mentioned are: Spirit Hunters, The Turn of the Key, Mexican Gothic, Thornhill, and A Head Full of Ghosts. Happy Reading!
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Looking for a good binge read? Port Moody librarians talk about some of their favourite book series. Books mentioned in this episode: Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer trilogy), Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass series), The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight trilogy), The Keeper of Lost Causes (Department Q series), and The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter (The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series).
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Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia suggest books by Indigenous authors. Books mentioned in this episode: Starlight, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People, A Mind Spread Out on the Ground, Moon of the Crusted Snow, and Marrow Thieves.
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Staff from the Port Moody Public Library talk about the books they are most looking forward to reading this Fall. We can't wait! Books mentioned in this episode: Charming as a Verb, Punching the Air, Ring Shout, The Trouble with Peace, Leave the World Behind, A Stitch in Time, Barren Grounds, Twins, The Bone Shard Daughter, Earthlings, Hollowpox, Swamp Thing, Fighting Words, Set My Heart to Five, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Murder on Cold Street, The Witches, A Deadly Education, Master of Poisons, Eat a Peach, I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, We Keep the Dead Close, Hench, Legendborn, The Midnight Library.
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Port Moody Public Library is kicking off their 2020 Booktoberfest with a Readathon. Find out what staff are planning to read in the 72 hours. Read along with us and chat about your Readathon books on our Facebook Group
. Books discussed are: The City and The City, A Wish in the Dark, Highway of Tears, Rebecca, Son of a Trickster, Lobizona, Stamped, Black Flamingo, Mother for Dinner, Universal Harvester, Space Opera, Soul of the Sword, The Honjin Murders, Shine, and The War That Saved My Life.
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Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia reminisce about school supplies and talk books that are set in schools. Books mentioned in this episode: Ninth House, Murder is Bad Manners, Super Mutant Magic Academy, Assassination Classroom, and Confessions.
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Meet Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia, the hosts of a new podcast from the Port Moody Public Library.
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