Booklovers

Booklovers

By Jess and JosephArtsBooks
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Booklovers episodes

  • The Orphan Master’s Son
    In this episode, Jess & Joseph tackle The Orphan Master’s Son, Adam Johnson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2012 novel about humanity and survival in North Korea. As with many stories about North Korea, The Orphan Master’s Son is grim, violent, and disturbing, but as with many works of fiction, it is also funny, hopeful, and sprinkled with small scenes of joy. We consider the role of a novel like The Orphan Master’s Son as a guide to the harsh realities of life in North Korea, and how fiction can offer readers broader educational scope for serious topics than reading only nonfiction for education.
    1 hr 25 min
  • Lot & Sports is Hell
    On this episode, Jess and Joseph are joined by Carmanita Turner, the media selector for Spartanburg County Public Libraries, to discuss two recent titles that focus on Black life in urban settings: Lot: Stories by Bryan Washington, which takes place in Houston, and Sports Is Hell by Ben Passmore, which takes place in Philadelphia.
    1 hr 17 min
  • LGBTQ+ Graphic Novels Beyond Fun Home
    To cap off Pride Month virtual programming at SCPL, Jess and Joseph review seven recent LGBTQ+ graphic novels, which range from romance and noir to urban fantasy and philosophical nonfiction. Along the way, we talk about the varying styles of the different titles and suggested similar books for interested readers. Time travel, necromancy, smartphone apps that grow mushrooms from your phone, and graduate school are also discussed and general hilarity ensues.
    1 hr 21 min
  • My Sister, the Serial Killer & Gone Girl

    In this episode, Jess and Joseph discuss unreliable narration in psychological thrillers by focusing on two big titles from the last decade: Gone Girl, the smash bestseller by Gillian Flynn, which details the disappearance of a woman on her fifth anniversary, and My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, which is about exactly what it sounds like it’s about. Although these novels were written over six years apart, they share some big traits regarding narrative style and trust, how family helps define main characters and their motives, and control.

    1 hr 18 min

About Booklovers

From the publisher's feed

We’re pop culture obsessives, animal lovers and eaters of sandwiches (okay, that’s mostly just Jess). Our opinions and interests are wide and deep, so the podcast reflects that. We dissect old titles that need a fresh take, brand new stuff that everyone’s talking about, and off-the-beaten-path works that deserve some love. We release episodes every month or so, with some mini-episodes popping up here and there to keep you on your toes.