Keep It Fictional

The books we read for today's episode are celebrating a notable anniversary in 2025, including a book about standing in line, and two books that have been made into movies (one of which Corene argues is better than the book). Books mentioned on this episode: The Queue by Vladimir Sorokin, translated by Sally Laird, Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani, and Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.

Identity theft, talking fox, not one but two Legendborn comparisons, eyes, heists, and more. Just some of our favourite things showing up in some upcoming releases we are looking forward to this summer. Books mentioned on this episode: A Twist of Fate by by Se-Ah Jang, translated by S. L. Park, A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, We are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Robin Myers, The Peepshow: The Murders at Rillington Place by Kate Summerscale, A Mastery of Monsters by Liselle Sambury, I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness by Irene Solà, translated by Mara Faye Lethem, The Art of Exile by Andrea Max, The Great Chinese Art Heist: Imperialism, Organized Crime, and the Hidden Story of China's Stolen Artistic Treasures by Ralph Pezzullo, and Tamangur by Leta Semadeni, translated by Tess Lewis.

Get your Keep It Fictional Bingo Card ready, folks! We're going to talk about upcoming releases we are looking forward to reading in the next few months. Let's see how many of our favourite categories we can hit. Books mentioned on this episode: The Midnight Shift" by Cheon Seon-Ran, translated by Gene Png, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab, The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong, Den of Liars by Jessica S. Olson, The Labyrinth House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji and translated by Ho-Ling Wong, and Exophony: Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue by Yoko Tawada, translated by Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda.

Why did it have to be snakes, Indiana Jones? Because 2025 is the Year of the Snake, so we have dedicated this episode of Keep It Fictional to these limbless reptiles. Books mentioned on this episode: The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kivirähk, translated by Christopher Moseley, Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee, Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe, and A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel.

Our mission today is to find a book that Emma may like, even though the book is unlike anything Emma normally reads. How successful are we? Let's find out. Books mentioned on this episode: What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould, Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo, translated by Douglas J. Weatherford, and The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun, translated by Sora Kim-Russell.

There are so many books that get published every year that there are bound to be ones that we didn't get to immediately, so today, we each picked a book published in 2024 that we meant to read but only got to it now. Books mentioned on this episode: The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, No Rules Tonight by Hyun Sook Kim and Ryan Estrada, It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over by Anne De Marchen, and Youth Group by Jordan Morris, illustrated by Bowen McCurdy.

Celebrate the amazing work of small and independent publishers this March with us. Pick up a book by a small press from your library. Our suggestions include: Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (published by Graywolf Press), Great Fear on the Mountain by Charles Ferdinand Ramuz, translated by Bill Johnston (published by Archipelago Books), Don't Answer When They Call Your Name by Ukamaka Olisakwe (published by Groits Lounge), and Counsel Culture by Kim Hye-jin, translated by Jamie Chang (published by Restless Books).

Pack your bags and let's take a trip with the Keep It Fictional librarians to Rwanda, Jamaica, Prague, and Turkey. Books mentioned on this episode: Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzotti, Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü, translated by Maureen Freely.

Retellings seem to be having a moment these days. Do you prefer a retelling that more or less follows the original trajectory, or do you prefer one that reinvents and takes the original in a new direction? In today's episode, we each read a retelling of a literary classic. Books mentioned on this episode: Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler, Pym by Mat Johnson, Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, and The King of Infinite Space by Lyndsay Faye.

We encourage you to read books by black authors all year long. Books mentioned on this episode: The Monsters We Defy by L. Penelop, Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey, The Silence of the Choir by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, translated by Alison Anderson, and Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.

Corene, Emma, and Sadie revisit and re-read their childhood favourite. Did these books withstand the test of time? Find out in today's episode. Books mentioned on this episode: A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, Everworld #1: The Search For Senna by K.A.Applegate, and The Hunter's Moon by O.R. Melling.

Will a great title make you want to read a book? Let's see if any of the ones we chose for today's episode pass the test. Books mentioned on this episode: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca, Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores by Jen Campbell, and I was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley.

Here are some more books we are looking forward to reading in the first quarter of 2025, including long-awaited sequels, telepathic sloths, complicated sister relationships, pawnshops and more. Books mentioned on this episode: Malinalli by Veronica Chapa, The National Telepathy by Roque Larraquy, translated by Frank Wynne, In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space by Irvin Weathersby Jr., The Dark Mirror by Samantha Shannon, The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix, Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao, The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner, Wildcat Dome by Yuko Tsushima, translated by Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda, Counterattacks at Thirty by Won-pyung Sohn, translated by Sean Lin Halbert, Oathbound by Tracy Deonn, The Black Orb by Ewhan Kim, translated by Sean Lin Halbert, and We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin.

2025 looks to be another great year for books. What are you excited about reading? On our list, we have heists, Minnesota, Indigenous horror, true crime, strange drawings, Nobel Prize winners (and not-winners), and scandals. Books mentioned on this episode: To Steal From Thieves by M.K Lobb Passing Through a Prairie Country by Dennis E. Staples The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne by Kate Winkler Dawson Strange Pictures by Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion We Do Not Part by Han Kang, translated by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris Barley Patch by Gerald Murnane The Museum Detective by Maha Khan Phillips Stay tuned for the rest of our most anticipated reads next week.

For our very first Keep It Fictional Book Chat episode for 2025, we practise some self care and decide to do a free play episode, where we can read whatever we want. What is the first book you read this year? Books mentioned on this episode: The Art Detective: Adventures of an Antiques Roadshow Appraiser Paperback by Philip Mould, Such Small Hands by Andrés Barba, translated by Lisa Dillman, and A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston.

Corene, Emma, Sadie, and Virginia share their top five books of 2024, and their honourable mentions. Political intrigue, burnout, dragons, mermaids, murder, bookstores, skateboarding, memoirs, assassins, mollusks, poetry... we have got them all. Listeners, what are your favourite books of the year?

This is the episode where Corene and Virginia read books by translators who are also authors, but what is the real reason behind this episode's choice of topic, other than the fact that they both love and respect translators so, so much? Books mentioned on this episode: Toward Eternity by Anton Hur and Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato.

Romancing another human being is clearly not satifisying enough so we're going to take to the next level today. Books mentioned in this episode: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston Immortal Cowboy by Alexis Morgan I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard

Talking cats. Disappearing cats. Prescription cats. Non-existent cats? Today's episode contains all kinds of cats, and all kinds of opinions about cats. Books mentioned on this episode: If Cats Disappear From the World by Genki Kawamura, translated by Eric Selland We'll Prescribe You a by Syou Ishida, translated by E. Madison Shimoda What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Alison Watts, The Cat Who Caught a Killer by LT Shearer

Emma, Liz, and Virginia talk artificial intelligence and robots on this week's episode. Books mentioned: The Singularity by Dino Buzzati, translated by Anne Milano Appel, Carole and Tuesday by Morito Yamataka, and Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle.

Today's episode is all about books that give us the Fall vibes. As per usual, our three librarians have slightly different takes on the season. What kinds of books do you like to read during the Fall season? Books mentioned on this episode: The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle, More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated by Eric Ozawa, and The Avian Hourglass by Lindsey Drager.

Corene, Emma, Sadie, and Virginia are bringing you some CanCon today for the upcoming "I Read Canadian Day" (November 6, 2024). They also talk about the first Canadian books they remember reading. Books mentioned on this episode: Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin, All You Can Kill by Pasha Malla, The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan, and Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks.

It's the Emma and Corene show today. Find out what book they chose to read together. Warning: this episode contains some strong opinions, especially about cinnamon buns.

Celebrate Latin American Heritage Month this October with these amazing books by authors of the Latin American community. Books mentioned on this episode: Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet Witches by Brenda Lozano, translated by Heather Cleary All They Will Call You by Tim Z. Hernandez Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova

The coziest season is upon us, so the Keep It Fictional librarians have chosen some books to go with your cozy beverage of choice. Also play along with our "Cozy, Not Cozy" game. Books mentioned on this episode: The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee, translated by Sandy Joosun Lee The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi, translated by Jesse Kirkwood The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki, translated by Jesse Kirkwood Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai

In this week's episode, an Aries, a Gemini, a Cancer, a Scorpio, and a Pisces share a book that they think embodies their star signs. What's your star sign, and what book would you recommend? Books mentioned on this episode: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, translated by Philip Gabriel Hype: How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet and Why We're Following by Gabrielle Bluestone The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind, translated by John E Woods

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.