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).
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.
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.
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 Sophi...
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.
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.
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 M...
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.
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.
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 G...
We continue our countdown to our favourite books of 2023. What are the best books you have read this year?
We have read sooo many great books this year, and these are our favourite books of 2023. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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, an...
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.
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 Las...
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 Kyl...
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.
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.
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 Rich...
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.
