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Keep It Fictional

Keep It Fictional

By Port Moody Public Library

Keep It Fictional is a weekly podcast for book lovers, by book lovers. Build your TBR with Allison, 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
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Books We Didn't Think We'd Like

Keep It FictionalSep 28, 2021

00:00
33:20
Sadie's Obsession: Tea

Sadie's Obsession: Tea

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.

Mar 26, 202450:17
Emma's Obsession: Warrior Women

Emma's Obsession: Warrior Women

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.

Mar 19, 202446:08
All About Families

All About Families

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.

Mar 12, 202455:19
Celebrate Small Press Month 2024

Celebrate Small Press Month 2024

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).

Mar 05, 202455:49
Canada Reads 2024

Canada Reads 2024

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.

Feb 27, 202401:05:12
Celebrate Black History Month 2024

Celebrate Black History Month 2024

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.

Feb 20, 202435:57
Love is in the air...and in the title

Love is in the air...and in the title

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.

Feb 13, 202449:51
Al's Obssession: Vampires

Al's Obssession: Vampires

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.

Feb 06, 202452:60
Murder!

Murder!

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.

Jan 30, 202436:24
Most Anticipated Books of 2024 (January - April, Part 1)

Most Anticipated Books of 2024 (January - April, Part 1)

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.

Jan 28, 202452:22
Stay in your lane...or not

Stay in your lane...or not

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.

Jan 23, 202450:51
Free Play

Free Play

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.

Jan 16, 202431:58
Most Anticipated Books of 2024 (January to April) Part 2

Most Anticipated Books of 2024 (January to April) Part 2

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.

Jan 09, 202438:53
Top Five Books of 2023 (Part 2)

Top Five Books of 2023 (Part 2)

We continue our countdown to our favourite books of 2023. What are the best books you have read this year?

Dec 12, 202339:29
Top Five Books of 2023 (Part 1)

Top Five Books of 2023 (Part 1)

We have read sooo many great books this year, and these are our favourite books of 2023. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.

Dec 05, 202355:35
Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures

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.

Nov 28, 202349:32
Welcome Emma, Our New Book Friend!

Welcome Emma, Our New Book Friend!

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.

Nov 21, 202358:17
Underappreciated Books

Underappreciated Books

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.

Nov 14, 202343:21
I Read Canadian Day 2023

I Read Canadian Day 2023

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.

Nov 07, 202338:19
Halloween Scare 2023

Halloween Scare 2023

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.

Oct 31, 202339:12
We recommend...other podcasts (and books, of course)

We recommend...other podcasts (and books, of course)

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.

Oct 24, 202352:21
Celebrate Latin American Heritage Month

Celebrate Latin American Heritage Month

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.

Oct 17, 202346:30
What's Your Number?

What's Your Number?

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.

Oct 10, 202349:45
Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

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.

Oct 03, 202351:20
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2023

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2023

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.

Sep 26, 202353:01
Celebrate National Translation Month 2023

Celebrate National Translation Month 2023

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.

Sep 19, 202347:39
Books about Art and Artists

Books about Art and Artists

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.

Sep 12, 202347:16
Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023 - Part 2

Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023 - Part 2

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.

Sep 05, 202346:16
Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023 - Part 1

Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023 - Part 1

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.

Aug 29, 202356:10
Happy 150th Episode!

Happy 150th Episode!

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.

Aug 22, 202301:22:58
Books that Intimidate Us

Books that Intimidate Us

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.

Aug 15, 202348:08
Thank you, Fiona!

Thank you, Fiona!

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.

Aug 08, 202301:00:48
If You Liked This TV Show, Read These Books

If You Liked This TV Show, Read These Books

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.

Aug 01, 202301:04:13
Books with Place Names in Titles

Books with Place Names in Titles

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.

Jul 25, 202348:47
Just One Word

Just One Word

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.

Jul 18, 202348:11
Book Tropes

Book Tropes

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.

Jul 11, 202352:11
What's in a Name?

What's in a Name?

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.

Jul 04, 202337:56
Welcome to the Alternate Universes!

Welcome to the Alternate Universes!

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.

Jun 27, 202338:17
Novels Written by Celebrities

Novels Written by Celebrities

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.

Jun 20, 202345:57
Pride Month 2023

Pride Month 2023

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).

Jun 13, 202346:15
Buddy Read
Jun 06, 202349:49
Welcome Allison, our new Keep It Fictional librarian

Welcome Allison, our new Keep It Fictional librarian

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.

May 30, 202356:42
Sentient Something

Sentient Something

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.

May 23, 202337:13
KIF Celebrates Asian Heritage Month

KIF Celebrates Asian Heritage Month

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.

May 16, 202335:46
A Special Thank You and Farewell to our Book Friend, Mark, with a few more "Most Anticipated Books of 2023 (May to August)" picks

A Special Thank You and Farewell to our Book Friend, Mark, with a few more "Most Anticipated Books of 2023 (May to August)" picks

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.


May 09, 202341:34
Most Anticipated Reads of 2023 (May to August): Part One

Most Anticipated Reads of 2023 (May to August): Part One

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.

May 02, 202357:36
It Should Have Won the Award

It Should Have Won the Award

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.

Apr 25, 202346:54
It's Our Turn to Get Recommendations

It's Our Turn to Get Recommendations

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.

Apr 18, 202345:04
Betrayals!

Betrayals!

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.

Apr 11, 202355:04
April is Poetry Month

April is Poetry Month

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.

Apr 04, 202347:49