Usually when robots gain sentience in fiction, they rise up and slay or otherwise subjugate their human creators, but this week's book dares to imagine what might happen if they stood up, looked around, said "thanks but no thanks," and left. It also ponders the meaning of existence, just for good measure.

Monk & Robot collects two previously published novels: A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy.

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Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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Three lives, all alike in indignity. Stein's debut book is a collection of stories about three working-class woman at the turn of the 20th century. In it, we see the beginnings of her unique literary voice - full of repetition, repetition, poetic vernacular, and repetition.

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.

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Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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For this new show-within-a-show, Craig and Andrew will travel to Neo-Tokyo to meet Akira, created by Katsuhiro Otomo. We're going to read this classic manga across six episodes, then close out with an extra episode on the groundbreaking 1988 film adaptation.

This is a preview of a series we’ll be running exclusively for our Patreon supporters over the next few months; we won’t release them on the main feed until the entire series has run. If you want to listen to them as they’re released, see patreon.com/overduepod for more! Episode 1 is already up!

In this episode, you'll hear us discuss our own experience with manga and anime, Otomo's background, and the story of how Akira came to be published in the US.

The episode schedule:

• Vol. 1 - Tetsuo
• Vol. 2 - Akira 1
• Vol. 3 - Akira 2
• Vol. 4 - Kei 1
• Vol. 5 - Kei 2
• Vol. 6 - Kaneda
• Bonus - Akira (1988)

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See Andrew and Craig. See Andrew and Craig read. Read, Andrew and Craig, read!

The Dick and Jane characters are still widely known, even though their heyday as The Main Way American Kids Learn How To Read has long since passed. Join us for a discussion of how these (now public domain!) characters came to be, the method of reading instruction they embody, how they came to dominate American classrooms, and how their reign of terror was finally ended. Obviously, we all hope that Father gets the help he needs.

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Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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Another month, another new member of the BSC! This time it's Jessi, ballerina extraordinaire, who also happens to be adept at learning languages. And her first big job involves learning sign language so she can babysit Matt Braddock, whose family just moved to town. Soon everybody in Stonybrook is learning to sign! Plus there's a whole parallel story about Jessi's ballet school. And really it's just a charming story about inclusivity and helping people feel like they belong!

This episodes posted first for Patreon supporters in March 2025! If you want to hear the rest of our longreads ahead of time (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.

Here's the full Sit Me Baby One More Time reading list:

• Kristy's Great Idea
• Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls
• The Truth about Stacey
• Mary Anne Saves the Day
• Dawn and the Impossible Three
• Hello, Mallory
• Jessi's Secret Language
• Welcome to the BSC, Abby

Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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Sometimes you just want to get together with your friend and enlist prisoners of war into putting on a production of Euripides in the quarry, am I right? This is a broadly relatable thing that lots of people have thought about doing. Right? Right??

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.

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Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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The public domain comes for us all and today it's come for Miss Marple, the elderly busybody and amateur sleuth that Agatha Christie created in the 1920s. In her first proper novel, Marple assists a vicar in uncovering the truth behind a murder that occurred in his own home (also known as a vicarage). How does Marple do it? With a keen understanding of Human Nature.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com/overdue.

Head to MarleySpoon.com/offer/overdue for 45% off your first order and free delivery!

Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’ve been known to choose an adventure for ourselves every now and again, but rarely have we delved into the history of the “gamebook” genre. Until now! Join us for an abbreviated run through Consider the Consequences, in which players can quickly ruin the lives of three young adults who All Have Their Own Stuff Going On. 

This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/overdue for 10% of your first purchase of a website or domain.

Head to MarleySpoon.com/offer/overdue for 45% off your first order and free delivery!

Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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It's time to meet Samantha and Addy, two American Girls from the toy brand of the same name. Their time periods and journeys are rather different, but they are united by one thing: American Girl founder Pleasant Rowland's quest to inspire girls to learn AND to accessorize.

Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We jump forward in the series a bit this month, not too deep into the series (and not into the era where the series was primarily ghostwritten), but past the “we’re still setting up each of the core club-members” phase.

This book is all about Mallory, a younger aspiring BSC member whose membership is jeopardized by a run of bad luck and some mildly unreasonable expectations from the other Club members. We also meet Jessi, one of the only Black residents in the extremely white town of Stoneybrook, and we discuss the dawn of the series' Perpetual Eighth Grade.

This episodes posted first for Patreon supporters in February 2025! If you want to hear the rest of our longreads ahead of time (and a bunch of other stuff besides), visit Patreon.com/overduepod.

Here's the full Sit Me Baby One More Time reading list:

• Kristy's Great Idea
• Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls
• The Truth about Stacey
• Mary Anne Saves the Day
• Dawn and the Impossible Three
• Hello, Mallory
• Jessi's Secret Language
• Welcome to the BSC, Abby

Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Follow @overduepod on Instagram and Bluesky

Advertise on Overdue

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.