The Endless Library

Both girls saw the big black house behind the big black gates and started shouting in excitement: Fernie, because she loved the idea of living in a haunted house, and Pearlie because she loved the idea of living in any house that was black and mysterious...

Invite your shadow along to book club for gothic middle grade adventure "Gustav Gloom and the People Taker" written by Adam-Troy Castro and illustrated by Kristen Margiotta. It's the spooky, silly story of Fernie, our plucky heroine; Gustav, who might be the loneliest boy in the world; and a crazy night in a house full of shadows (and a monster or two).

Share your thoughts, suggest a read, or guest-host an episode - drop me a line at [email protected], and stay safe out there, spooky friends!

-- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional sound effects from zapsplat.com and music clips by Alan Silvestri and Malvina Reynolds

It was a feeling like nostalgia, but for something I'd never done. Something I'd never had.

Murder! Mages! Hard-boiled detective noir meets magic school fantasy, with a dash of sibling rivalry, and scads of teen angst in "Magic for Liars" by Sarah Gailey. Aurelien reviews this trope-busting, genre-crossing mystery novel, and digs into the alluring dream of the Hogwarts letter, with call-outs to X-Men, "The Magicians", and Bewitched (1964-1972). Spoilers start around 14:00!

Interviews mentioned in the episode:

- Magic For Liars | Sarah Gailey | Talks at Google: https://youtu.be/w07mVfZ7J-E

- The Qwillery Interview with Sarah Gailey: https://www.theqwillery.com/2019/06/interview-with-sarah-gailey-author-of.html

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

Are you stuck in quarantine? Not feeling ready to commit to an entire book?

In this mini episode, Aurelien highlights weird, bizarre, unsettling, fantastic flash fiction that you can read for free online, right now, all under 1000 words. (That's like 5 minutes of your day!)

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* "The Man in My Closet" by Amy Clark: https://everydayfiction.com/the-man-in-my-closet-by-amy-clark/

* "How to Clean Out A Cupboard" by Cheryl Powell: https://everydayfiction.com/how-to-clean-out-a-cupboard-by-cheryl-powell/

* "The Machine" by P. Djèlí Clark: https://everydayfiction.com/the-machine-by-p-djeli-clark/

* "Ghosted" by Amie Heasley: https://everydayfiction.com/ghosted-by-amie-heasley/

* "The Postman is A Creep" by Nathan Good: https://everydayfiction.com/the-postman-is-a-creep-by-nathan-good/

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Want to suggest a good, weird read and/or guest-host a future episode? Email [email protected]!

* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com