To start with the Oscars, we're talking about the big shift in Oscar-nominated film watching, because it's rare to have a year where so many nominated movies were already available to watch. From Anatomy of a Fall and Poor Things to (of course) Barbenheimer, viewer access to Oscar films was much higher in 2023 than in years previous, leading to a more invested viewership--and way longer holds lists at the library, too.

Then we're taking the leap into a discussion of Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, which takes its name from a Macbeth reference, but pivots to discuss environmental destruction, guerrilla gardening, illegal fracking, and what a bunch of Kiwi Millennials think they're going to do to fix it all. Birnam Wood's twists and turns, combined with Catton's stream of consciousness writing style and wide cast of characters, combine to create a cerebral quasi-thriller that leaves readers thinking about what it means to do "good" in the period of late stage capitalism.

We've talked about romance novels before on the podcast, but this episode takes a different approach, because Joseph has a lot of questions about the genre. Why do we read romance? What are the implications of the genre on readers, and how do we as a society view romance novels? For that matter, what’s the difference between a romance book and a romance movie? Jess and Rea explain the importance of romance, the reimagining of the marriage plot, and major trends in romance, all whilst swooning over the many romance novels they’ve read recently.

Who gets to tell what stories? It’s a question authors—and all of us—have grappled with for years now, and R. F. Kuang’s novel Yellowface digs into that question and pulls out a very sloppy and difficult main character. A skewering, funny, intense look at the publishing industry warts and all, Yellowface also digs into the messy world of female friendships, jealousy, and cultural appropriation.

In this episode, we’re talking through Kuang’s latest novel, plus sharing our feelings about improv (not great, per Jess), and catching up on Joseph’s challenge to watch all the Twilight movies.

In America, only 8% of parents had deaf children wish to learn American Sign Language.

A statistic like that seems unfathomable, doesn’t it? But in True Biz, Sara Nović deftly and realistically explores her main character Charlie’s world: Charlie is deaf, but but her divorcing parents, especially her mother, have never attempted to communicate with her on her terms. When Charlie’s father is assigned primarily custody, things change, and Charlie is sent to a school for deaf students, where she and her father learn ASL and where her life breaks open with the help of headmistress February, roommate Kayla and classmate Austin. Nović travels between Charlie, February—a hearing woman of Deaf parents—and Austin—the golden child of a Deaf family—as they encounter various trials and tribulations through the school year. Interspersed in the novel are ASL diagrams, Wikipedia articles, and other supporting literature about Deaf culture and history, all a part of February’s attempt to educate Charlie on the difference between deaf and Deaf.

After hosting Sara Nović at the downtown Spartanburg library, we only thought it appropriate to discuss her seminal work of Deaf writing on the podcast. Jess & Joseph share what the event was like (spoiler: it was incredible!), the group talks about the book, and shares the mostly goofy-spooky things they’re reading in October.

Here in 2023, everyone knows the general meaning of a catch-22. It’s a situation where you can’t win no matter what you do. You’re trapped, you’re stuck, and there’s no other option. But in 1961, when Joseph Heller’s seminal novel Catch-22 was published, there was no phrase for what it meant to be that kind of trapped. Thankfully for us all, Doc Daneeka, the endlessly bummed medical professional of the Air Force Corps on Pianosa, breaks the catch-22 down for Captain Yossarian, an Air Force bombardier trapped in a tremendous amount of bureaucratic red tape while everyone around him succumbs to the horrors of war.

Heller’s novel goes on to describe the absurdities of war, from officers who attempt to one-up each other to the ironies of ailments that put soldiers in the hospital. As Yossarian stumbles his way through scenario after scenario, and tries to do the right thing for himself, he’s reminded over and over that even if he gets out, he’s never REALLY out. In this episode, we’re discussing capitalism, the systems novel, and the fungibility of humans. And, of course, Major Major Major Major.

What is a Western? What is western? What is the west? All fair questions, and all hard to really define, especially when it comes to reading tastes. Thankfully, we’re getting an idea of what the new west is, complements of bestselling author C.J. Box, who joined us (!!!!) for part of this episode of Booklovers. Box’s 23rd Joe Pickett novel, Storm Watch, was released to high praise in February, and the mystery amplifies the questions asked at the beginning of this paragraph: Is Storm Watch a Western? Is it a Western if it’s in the West? What makes a story of the American west different than an American Western? We’re tackling this topic with a discussion of what Box astutely calls the “rural new west”, a label that pulls together some of the most important issues facing the American west and the people who live and work there.

Also, screaming marmots.

Hello, we’re back! After an extended holiday break, Joseph and Jess have returned to discuss the latest Grady Hendrix novel, How to Sell a Haunted House, which throws generational trauma, grief, puppets and Charleston into a blender to see what happens. Joining us for this episode is our colleague Derrick, a superfan of both horror novels and horror movies, to discuss the popularity of comical horror, how horror helps readers explore serious themes in a safe way, and Jess’s deep discomfort with puppets and dolls. We’re also digging a bit into the rules of magic as a logical part of writing speculative fiction, primarily what happens when the rules are broken.

Also, Jess would like to say that aside from her stressful moments near the puppets in their Circus Museum, she had a great time at the Ringling and her encounter with the property’s Banyan trees is also a core memory.