BOOKED SOLID: A New Canaan Library Podcast for Adventurous Readers Across All Genres

Featured Titles: Born in Flames by Bench Ansfield Neptune's Fortune by Julian Sancton Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung Angel Down by Daniel Kraus Go Gentle by Maria Semple   The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden   Five Weeks in the Country by Francine Prose   Diavola by Jennifer Thorne All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby   Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick Please take our sur...

Kathleen and James fall into the supernatural world in George Saunders’s surreal book, Vigil. Join our hosts for a discussion on the author's vision of the afterlife, philosophy, and the expert use of humor throughout the book. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future.   To place a hold on any of th...

Kathleen and James talk about what they learned from the nonfiction book selection of the season, Everything is Tuberculosis, by John Green. The hosts discuss the surprising impact of tuberculosis on society, the difficulties and advances made in treating a disease that has been with us from antiquity, and how author John Green is able to make such a challenging topic approachable. Please take our...

This month, Kathleen and James look at a troubling vision of the near future in Laila Lalami's riveting book, The Dream Hotel. Join our hosts for a discussion on technology, surveillance, and the challenges of writing speculative fiction. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future.   To place a hold o...

Kathleen and James step into a reimagining of the 1930s Dust Bowl in Karen Russell's genre-bending novel The Antidote. The hosts discuss the book's magical realism, its incredible use of language, and its argument for how history can be more deeply connected than one might expect. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we c...

This month, Kathleen and James find far more than they expected in Daniel Mason's brilliant novel, North Woods. Join our hosts as they celebrate the Library's Lit Lunch pick with a discussion on the ways that the past influences the present and the joy of discovering unexpected connections. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improve...

For the first episode of season 7, Kathleen and James visit the windswept island of Shearwater in Charlotte McConaghy's thrilling book, Wild Dark Shore. They discuss the book’s breathtaking setting, how the story explores the themes of climate change and despair, and why hope and community are so important in the face of disaster. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Le...

Featured Titles: Woodworking by Emily St. James Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter Hungerstone by Kat Dunn Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins Spent by Alison Bechdel All Systems Red by Martha Wells Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez...

Kathleen, Kat, and James get wrapped up in the mystery of Liz Moore’s thrilling novel, The God of the Woods. Join our hosts for a discussion on how they approach mystery fiction, narrative structure, and the importance of a good reveal. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future.   To place a hold on...

Kathleen, Kat, and James put their heads together and talk about the nonfiction book selection for the season, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The group discusses nature, science, the environment, and the ways in which we see and understand the world. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the fu...

Kathleen, Kat, and James travel through time to discuss Kaliane Bradley’s science fiction romance book, The Ministry of Time. Our hosts talk about genre fiction, out-of-time romance stories, and all the questions they have about time travel ethics, shady government experiments, and the suspicious convenience of having an inadvisable roommate. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid eve...

Kathleen, Kat, and James explore the endless halls of the House and attempt to unravel its secrets in Susanna Clarke’s intriguing fantasy novel, Piranesi. Join our hosts for a discussion on liminal spaces, dark academia, and the ways in which we connect to the world around us. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can m...

This month, Kathleen, Kat, and James get a taste of Italy with Jhumpa Lahiri’s excellent collection of short fiction, Roman Stories. Join us as we celebrate the Library's Lit Lunch pick with a discussion about the unique strengths of short stories, connection and belonging, and a deeper dive on three of our hosts' favorite pieces from the collection. Please take our survey to help us make Booked S...

Kathleen, Kat, and James start the new season with a turbulent journey down the Mississippi River in Percival Everett’s excellent historical fiction novel, James. The group discusses the book’s clever use of language, the bizarre and harrowing situations our heroes find themselves in, and the challenges in retelling an American classic. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even bett...

Featured Titles: Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell Clear by Carys Davies Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert Exordia by Seth Dickinson Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann The God of the Woods by Liz Moore...

Kathleen, Kat, and James come face to face with unexpected horrors and unfriendly in-laws in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s book Mexican Gothic. Join our hosts as they discuss the Gothic novel, the strangling grasp of the patriarchy, and the terror of the fungi kingdom. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the fut...

Kathleen, Kat, and James travel down the Silk Road and encounter con artists, storytellers, and danger around every corner in Daniel Nayeri’s book The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams. Join our hosts as they discuss unreliable narrators, historical jokes, and the joy of finding a book that works for all ages. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us...

Kathleen, Kat, and James read N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season and discover a rich fantasy world full of dark secrets, unsolved mysteries, and the beginning of the end of the world. Kathleen shows off her detective skills by catching a twist before it is revealed, Kat looks at the systems at play, and James struggles with pronunciation. Join our hosts as they discuss fantasy, writing style, and mor...

This month, Kat, Kathleen, and James read the first nonfiction book of the season, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. The group discusses the horrific conspiracy that the book documents against members of the Osage Nation in the 1920s, the shocking systems of oppression and exploitation that enabled and outlived it, and the excellent writing and skill of the author in covering such a diffi...

This month, Kat, Kathleen, and James saddle up to explore a genre that they all rarely read: historical fiction, courtesy of Geraldine Brooks' award-winning novel Horse. Tune in for a discussion about history and commodification, and discover which of the hosts doesn't like horses. Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we...

This month, Kathleen, Kat, and James venture into the unexplored depths of Julia Armfield’s haunting book, Our Wives Under the Sea. Kat loves the characters, Kathleen is fascinated by the mystery, and James can’t stop thinking about a tragic fateful decision. Join our hosts as they discuss grief, relationships, and the terrible fear and pull of the unknown. Please take our survey to help us make B...

Please take our survey to help us make Booked Solid even better! Let us know what you enjoy and what improvements we can make for the future.   To place a hold on any of the titles mentioned in this episode, check out our Booked Solid reading list on the New Canaan Library website.

Kathleen and James channel their inner teen detectives and dive into Holly Jackson’s devious YA thriller, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. This month the discussion focuses on intrepid teen sleuths, the trouble with using homework as an excuse for investigating a murder, and fun with localization. Kathleen is in her element with this murder mystery, while James is lost in the woods. Will he piece to...

This month, Kathleen and James travel to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children to discuss the fantasy novella (and murder mystery!) Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. Listen in as they discuss portal fantasies, found families, and where their magical doors would lead. Will this story steal their hearts? BE SURE to check out this episode to find out! Please take our survey to help us make...

This month, Kathleen and James read the lush and lyrical novel in verse Me (Moth) by Amber McBride. Tune in for a discussion about identity, self-discovery, and spirituality, as seen through the lens of the life cycle of a moth. James and Kathleen love the language, but will the story haunt them just as much as the prose? Find out in this episode of Booked Solid—and stick around for bonus content...