This isn't an episode of Overdue, it's a Feed Drop! We wanted to share with you an episode of The History of Literature, a podcast about great stories and why we love them.To use host Jacke Wilson's words, the show "takes a fresh look at some of the most compelling examples of creative genius the world has ever known." It's brought to you by the folks at the Podglomerate.You can find more info on The History of Literature here.And don't worry, there'll still be a regularly scheduled episode of Overdue on Monday. But in the meantime, enjoy listening to this discussion of this classic Russian novel!

Overdue

Feed Drop: The History of Literature - Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Clearly it is time we covered Beverly Cleary! In addition to her numerous books starring Ramona Quimby, the late titan of children's fiction penned several novels about a mouse named Ralph who rides a motorcycle. Not quite sure what else you need to know, to be honest. There's a kid named Keith. He and Ralph become friends. Also, we solve the energy crisis thanks to Ralph's motorcycle.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 468 - The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary

"What if the Axis Powers won World War II?" is one of the most-asked questions in all of speculative fiction, but Jo Walton's Farthing asks "what if Britain didn't exactly LOSE World War II, but ended up sliding into fascism anyway?"Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 467 - Farthing, by Jo Walton

This isn't an episode of Overdue, it's a Feed Drop! We wanted to share with you an episode of Storybound featuring Tommy Orange reading his short story "Copperopolis" with sound design by Ryan Dann.Storybound is a radio theater program from the folks at Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate. Each episode is a chance to hear a contemporary author read their own work, designed with immersive sound environments.You can find more info on Storybound here, and you can read more about the author and composer here.And don't worry, there'll still be a regularly scheduled episode of Overdue on Monday. But in the meantime, enjoy listening to a professional writer professionally read their own words!

Feed Drop: Storybound - "Copperopolis" by Tommy Orange

What if Cinderella didn't fall for Prince Charming? What if she developed a rich, endearing relationship with the King's Huntress instead? Malinda Lo's retelling of Cinderella blends cultural traditions and remixes key tropes, but also remains true to the folk tale's reverence for love and magic.(Listen, the big boat was floated while we were recording this episode. Our jokes were timely when we made them.)Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 466 - Ash, by Malinda Lo

Welcome to our newest show-within-a-show! We're reading Edith Grossman's translation of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes a few months at a time. Some Patreon supporters get these episodes monthly, but every two months we'll combine them for general consumption.These episodes cover Chapters 1-15.In Episode 1, we do some table-setting on the author and translation, and then we dive into the first four chapters of the story. In Episode 2, our hero recruits the squire Sancho Panza and goes tilting after some windmills. Also we hear a whole story about a guy who died from lovesickness.Join us as we meet this errant knight-errant!Find out more about how to get these episodes monthly at patreon.com/overduepod.

Jagged Little Mill - Episodes 1 & 2

What if Death was a job, that a guy did? On a Pale Horse has an interesting theology and viewpoint on morality, even if the book's women characters are paper-thin and Piers Anthony is kind of a jabroni.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 465 - On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality #1), by Piers Anthony

It's time to post at the top of the key and shoot some literary hoops! Pick and roll with us into a poetic novel about brotherhood, family, and passing the rock. Alexander's poetry in The Crossover is eclectic and energetic, which makes for a fun read whether you stan LeBron James or Nikki Giovanni or both!Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 464 - The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander

We don't actually get to the center of the earth this week, but we do TRY to get there, and that has made all the difference. Fans of Craig's French accent get a lot to chew on in this one. Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 463 - Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne

It's been a couple of years, so we figured it was time for another listener Q&A! This time we tackle hard-hitting questions like "what kind of books does your baby like" and "what is the best pasta shape." For more information on our bonus episodes, visit patreon.com/overduepod.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 462 - Overdue Q&A #4 (Bonus Episode)

What if the celebrated author of a classic children's novel wanted to write about Adult issues like spinsterhood, pariah-hood, and being told you only have a year to live? L.M. Montgomery asked this question of herself as she sat down to write The Blue Castle. Join us for a discussion of obnoxious families, fairy tales, and botched diagnoses.Check out our previous L.M. Montgomery episode on Anne of Green Gables.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 461 - The Blue Castle, by L.M. Montgomery

Returning guest Kamille Washington joins us this week to chat about A Promised Land, the first in former President Barack Obama's (planned) two-part presidential autobiography. We talk about the functions these books serve, both for the writer and the reader, and whether this book's recounting of Obama's early presidency squares with our experience with and memory of it a decade later (apologies to our listeners without a working knowledge of US politics, this one might be a little inaccessible). Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 460 - A Promised Land, by Barack Obama (w/ Kamille Washington)

N.K. Jemisin's award-winning Broken Earth trilogy concludes with two powerful magic users trying to harness the moon to bring about an apocalypse to end all apocalypses. We discuss how this book decides to stick its landing, including the impressive detour it takes to do an audacious amount of world-building for a closing entry in a series.Just coming to the series now? Check out our episodes on the previous books: The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate.Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 459 - The Stone Sky (Broken Earth #3), by N.K. Jemisin

Gene Wolfe is a sci-fi author's sci-fi author, best known for his descriptive language and a penchant for unreliable narrators. To attempt to discover the REAL meaning of The Ziggurat, we take a break in the middle of this episode to read the story again. It only sort of helps. Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Ep 458 - The Ziggurat, by Gene Wolfe

Overdue is a podcast about the books you've been meaning to read. Join Andrew and Craig each week as they tackle a new title from their backlog. Classic literature, obscure plays, goofy murder mysteries: they'll read it all, one overdue book at a time.