Barred Books

Hey hey book lovers and fascism haters! For this episode, Curator, editor, and general badass Lynne M. Thomas joins us to discuss what is widely considered the first science fiction novel, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. We have a great discussion; first off, Lynne is an amazing human, but also? She's spent the last year curating an exhibit for the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that explores Shelley’s life, career, and context for her most famous novel. (Be sure to check it out before it leaves in May 2027!)

We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including: 

• Mary Shelley, goth icon and intellectual nepo baby 
• Her unusual-for-the-time education
• Unethical polyamory (or, Percy Shelley Is A Fuckboi)
• How a volcanic eruption, arctic exploration, and emerging science influenced the text 
• The multiple lenses through which to view this work 

Since the frame of the story is set on a ship stuck in icy waters--and, who are we kidding, it's October and therefore officially Spooky Season--we paired our discussion with mulled wine. Now, there are approximately a zillion recipes for this online, so use the one you want; we chose this one by Gimme Some Oven. Cheers! 

Hey hey book lovers and fascism haters! The episode of Barred Books brings us Brave New Worlds, the 2011 (yes I say 2001 in the intro, sue me) dystopian science fiction anthology edited by our guest, John Joseph Adams. He's the editor of Lightspeed and Nightmare magazines--be sure to check them out, and consider backing their kickstarter running through 10/15/26. 

Featuring authors such as Shirley Jackson, Ursula K Le Guin, and Vylar Kaftan, Brave new Worlds is a collection of 33 stories that explores several aspects of dystopian societies: controlling fertility, mass surveillance, police states, free will, self-identity, and resistance movements.

We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including (but certainly not limited to):

• The thought process behind compiling the anthology
• Anthropic lawsuit shenanigans (gen AI sucks, kids)
• Why there is a distinct lack of hope in most dystopian stories
• The illusion of choice in dystopian societies
• Specific stories that touch on tradition, police states, controlling fertility, and raging against the capitalist machine

We paired a cocktail called Do Androids Dream of Electric Jungle Birds? by Cora Lambert with our discussion. Bright, complex, and bitter, it's the perfect accompaniment to reading about (and living through) dystopian worlds. Cheers!

Hey hey book lovers and fascism haters! Join host Kelly Swails and feminist, writer, and and educator Veronica I. Arreola as they discuss two children's books that have faced book bans and criticism. The first, And Tango Makes Three written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole, features Silo and Roy, two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who get the chance to become penguin parents, just like the other penguin couples at the zoo. The second, J is for Justice: An Activism Alphabet, was written by guest Veronica I. Arreola and illustrated by Maria Diaz Perera and was banned by a school in Virginia as well as the school system for the US armed forces. Topics include but are not limited to: 

• women's sports
• Dolphin sex
• The American democracy group project 

We paired this episode's uncomplicated books with an uncomplicated cocktail: the gin and tonic. Cheers!  

Hey hey book lovers and fascism haters! In this episode writer, editor, and journalist Alana Joli Abbott joins host Kelly Swails to discuss the beloved middle-grade classic A Wrinkle in Time. Published in 1962, the novel touches on several topics: alienation, friendships, the dangers of conformity, quantum mechanics, and time travel. 

A plethora of cocktail recipes commemorate the 2018 movie adaption, and we chose this one from the Valcohol blog for its easy transition to a mocktail. Cheers! 

A Wrinkle in Thyme

• 2 oz gin (you can totally admit this if you prefer a mocktail)
• 1 oz pear juice 
• 1/2 oz thyme syrup
• 3 oz bitter lemon soda
• fresh thyme sprig and lemon peel for garnish

Shake gin, pear juice, and thyme syrup in a shaker tin with ice. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Top with soda, garnish, and enjoy. 

Hey book lovers and fascism haters! In this episode of Barred Books, Addie J. King joins us to discuss the seminal novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. 

Since this story is set at the tail end of the Prohibition/Depression era, we paired our discussion with The Greyhound, which is a mix of gin (or vodka, for you modernists) and grapefruit juice. You can use the linked recipe or follow our adjustments below. 

Or not. You know. There's no rules. You do you. 

The Greyhound

2 oz gin (juniper- or citrus-forward profiles work great here)

4 oz freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice

Combine and shake in a tin with ice until chilled. Double strain into a glass and enjoy. 

Hello book lovers and fascism haters! The USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen novels, Jaye Wells, joins us in the house today. We're discussing Ray Bradbury's seminal work Fahrenheit 451--many people think this book is about censorship--which it is, in a way--but its original intent was to show the inherent dangers of television. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including: 

• The current publishing landscape
• The dangers of "frictionless" media
• Destructive capacity of social media 
• A discourse on AI (tl;dr: fuck AI)

Oh, and of course we paired this discussion with a cocktail! The fine folks at The Rum Howler Blog devised a drink based on the Bradbury short story "The Pedestrian," a work considered to be a precursor to this novel. The beverage is quite lovely, lightly sweet, spice notes from the rum and bitters. Can't drink grapefruit juice? I suspect pineapple juice would work well here; orange juice may be a bit too sweet for it. 

The Pedestrian

1 3/4 oz Spiced Rum
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/3 oz grapefruit juice
1/2 oz triple sec
3 drops Fee cocktail bitters
ice
Twist of lemon peel

Place the first five ingredients into a metal shaker with ice. Shake until the outside of the shaker begins to frost. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a twist of lemon peel, and enjoy. 

Hey everyone! In this episode, we brought in distinguished Afrofuturist, author, teacher, mentor, and community organizer Maurice Broaddus to discuss Octavia E. Butler's 1993 novel Parable of the Sower. Set in the years 2024-2027, it's an eerily prescient look at the effects of late-stage capitalism on the American populace. It should be required reading, but it has a Black protagonist and dares to question American Exceptionalism, so, you know. It gets banned a lot instead. 

Originally we paired this discussion with this cocktail from This is Mold, but it wasn't the best drink we've ever had, so Friend of the Podcast Ambrosia Borowski crafted a replacement. We're calling the The Sower because we're super creative like that. 

The Sower

1-1/2 oz tequila

1 oz frangelico

1/2 oz lemon juice

3 dashes black walnut bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin with ice until chilled and pour into a chilled glass. Enjoy as you contemplate the state of the world and what part you'll play in a more hopeful future. 

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news music by Squidems -- https://freesound.org/s/709973/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Hello book lovers and fascism haters! Today's Barred Book Episode features host Kelly Swails and guest Bryan Young discussing the classic book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The author mentions Irish Whiskey in the first chapter, and since both Bryan and Kelly are writers, we paired this discussion with Writer's Tears. Cheers! 

In this episode, Susan J. Morris and host Kelly Swails sip on Margaret Atwoods while discussing the ever-more-relevant The Handmaid's Tale. Get ready for some feminist rage! If you'd like to drink along with us, this cocktail is from Jennifer Croll's book Free the Tipple. I did not have a Collins glass handy so I skipped the ice and used a flute. Also, no garnish, because really, snapdragons in this economy?

1-1/2 ounces light rum

1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur

1 ounce pomegranate juice

1 ounce lime juice

1 ounce apple juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice and garnish with a snapdragon.