This week Kacee & Naomi read The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami originally published as fushigi na toshokan in 1983 (though their version was published in 2014 with illustrations by Chip Kidd). And they promise they will not eat your brains. Thanks for listening, and please support your local libraries!

Umbrella Genre

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

Join us as we explore a world, alongside main character Yeine, of palace intrigues, complex government, and frightfully brutal gods. When summoned by the king of the world, Yeine must travel to the capital of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. There she finds a strange connection to the god, Nahadoth and his godling children. As circumstances unfold, Yeine must chose between herself and the gods, herself and her kingdom, between chaos and order and balance. WARNING: we straight up, very obviously spoil this book. If you don't want to be spoiled on it, read first. Naomi and Kacee would like to dedicate this episode to their late friend, Sheralee, who loved N. K. Jemisin's work.  WorldCat (link where available) That's a wrap for season 1! We hope to be back with new content soon!

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin

Originally published in 1897. The classic tale of the master of the night -- Dracula. Some minor discussion of scenes in the 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula movie, but nothing overlong.  We also mention the following (linked where available): World Cat | Project Gutenberg | Overly Sarcastic Productions | The Maven of the Eventide

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Originally Published in 1974. Apparently the Horror books bring out the swears, so be mindful of the language in this episode. Also, maybe all the blood and death. This week we read Stephen King's first novel of TK, high school bullying, and death. Join us as we discuss Carrie. Find it on WorldCat

Carrie by Stephen King

Everything you touch, you change, Everything you change, changes you. This week we discuss the highly philosophical Parable of the Sower. We give a small content warning in the beginning but this book contains mentions of slavery,  post apocolyptic matter, sexual violence, graphic violence, and questionable consent at times. We don't go in depth, but since we do mention it we wanted to give a warning all the same.  Find a copy on WorldCat

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Today we take a dive into Tomi Adeyemi's fantasy novel about diviners and the fight to regain their power. Kacee and Naomi discuss strengths and weaknesses, the real world events that inspired Adeyemi's vision, and more. Tune in!

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

originally published in 2007. Who are the monsters? The aliens? The humans? The ones we love? An exploration of gender and thought through the lens of alien beings and self discovery. This episode comes with a warning about discussion of sexual assault. We read through a scene in the text from 42:56 to 44:17 and discuss it further until 48:00. Listener discretion is advised.

Of Love and Other Monsters by Vandana Singh

 Apologies to any French speakers; we did our best. This week we discussed the original, unabridged 1740 publication of La Belle et la Bête in the western world. If you've heard this tale as old as time, you may still want to give this one a listen; there's more to the story than you may have heard before -- like what happens after the Beast transforms again. 

La Belle et la Bête by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

This week we're discussing Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Leguin, originally published in 1966.

Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Leguin

Every episode we read a book from a speculative fiction genre - sci-fi, horror, and fantasy - and discuss.