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Ep 289 - The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett Mar 12, 2018

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if the Earth were flat and also being carried by four gigantic elephants who were all standing on the back of a giant space turtle? Us too! Which is why Terry Pratchett's Discworld series remains relevant 35 years after its inception in this week's book, The Colour of Magic.

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Ep 288 - The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

Audrey Niffenegger's novel The Time Traveler's Wife is equal parts romance and sci-fi. It's a love story about the limits of free will and the power of destiny. It is also a way hornier book than we gave it credit for.

Talking points include James Cameron's avatar, time-travelling hi-jinks, and chrono-impairment as a metaphor for absence, loss, and the gravitational pull of love.

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Ep 287 - The Cranes Dance, by Meg Howrey (Bonus Episode) Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

For February's bonus episode, we spin, twirl, and jump our way through a conversation about Meg Howrey's The Cranes Dance. This book about sisterhood and ambition draws heavily on the author's experience as a successful professional dancer.

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Ep 286 - Kindred, by Octavia Butler Feb 26, 2018

Show notes

Octavia Butler’s Kindred is ostensibly a sci-fi/fantasy novel about time travel, but it also draws heavily from the tradition of first-person slave narratives. Butler’s characters, whether white slaveowners, the slaves themselves, or the time travelers in between are all allowed ample nuance, even as Butler puts the brutality and inhumanity of the era on full display.

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Ep 285 - The Fifth Season, by N.K. Jemisin Feb 19, 2018

Show notes

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and...then what? N.K. Jemisin's award-winning novel The Fifth Season kicks off her Broken Earth trilogy with a tale about serial apocalypses and oppressed earth mages. SPOILER ALERT: We talk about a critical plot point about 40-45 minutes in.

Other talking points include: anniversaries, Super Nintendo RPGs, and internet trolls.

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Ep 284 - Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Feb 12, 2018

Show notes

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah is about a lot of things—it's a love story, it's an immigrant story, it's a story about the Obama moment—but it has the most to say about race. It's about being black in America, but not from the perspective of a black American. It's about how race works in different cultures, and among different people from the same culture. It's about hair. And it's a fascinating read, every step of the way.

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Ep 283 - Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward Feb 05, 2018

Show notes

Jesmyn Ward's second novel Salvage the Bones is the story of a family in rural Mississippi in the twelve days leading up to Hurricane Katrina's landfall. Equal parts intimate and mythic in proportion, Salvage the Bones is a moving portrait of perseverance.

Join us for a discussion of feline biological warfare, Medea Medea Medea, and unfortunate canines.

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Ep 282 - The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin Jan 29, 2018

Show notes

In the wake of Ursula K. Le Guin's tragic passing earlier this month, this week's episode covers her Nebula-award winning The Dispossessed. Part of the "Hainish Cycle," the book deals with capitalism, socialism, anarchism, and human nature in ways that resonate strongly in our current moment.

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Ep 281 - The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie Jan 22, 2018

Show notes

Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses may be the first book we've covered to have caused a full-blown International Incident. Rushdie's notorious fourth novel tackles issues of immigration, identity and revelation, but it's the passages inspired by the life of the prophet Muhammad that sparked the most outrage.

Join us for a conversation about haunting decisions, amazing transformations, and Andrew's terrible stance on pineapple and pizza.

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Ep 280 - The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne Jan 15, 2018

Show notes

Shhhhhh, everyone, come in closer. Closer! Because we're about to tell you all about The Secret, and we don't want anyone to overhear. Of course, if they hear us talking about all the parts of this book that are bogus, THAT would be fine.

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