Fully-Booked: Literary Podcast

We began our podcast episode by defining and analyzing the high fantasy genre , which has seen a remarkable surge in popularity over the last five years or so, particularly among adult readers and literary communities. What Is Considered High Fantasy? We established that high fantasy refers to stories set entirely within fictional, constructed worlds that do not exist in reality, as opposed to sto...

Welcome to the month of June! To kick off the summer season, we’ll be focusing on all things high fantasy. Old and new, adapted or not, we’re chatting about the massive resurgence in love for the genre, with tons of high fantasy works being published monthly. To begin this month’s podcast with a classic, this week we’re revisiting the 2005 adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ beloved installment in his Chron...

We begin by acknowledging that this is the last podcast episode of the month, where we tend to become a bit zany and go off on tangents after recording multiple episodes. This leads us to reflect on the recent explosion of interest in historical fiction , particularly period romance and the Regency era, sparked by the immense popularity of the show Bridgerton . NoteThe following is an editorialize...

We begin our podcast episode by discussing the premiere of the first four episodes of Bridgerton season 3, which dropped on May 16th, and adapt the storyline of Penelope Featherington (Lady Whistledown) and Colin Bridgerton from Julia Quinn’s fourth book, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. NoteThe following is an editorialized transcript of our weekly literary podcast. If you would like to listen to the po...

The second season of the hit book adaptation Bridgerton shifts the focus to Anthony Bridgerton, the eldest son who has taken on the responsibilities of Viscount after his father’s untimely death. Still haunted by that childhood trauma, Anthony is determined to fulfill his duty through a pragmatic marriage alliance rather than seeking love and risking heartbreak. His comical dating misadventures se...

We began our literary podcast discussion on historical fiction by acknowledging there seems to be some disagreement on what truly qualifies as part of this subgenre. We had initially thought the definition was straightforward – fiction set in a historical time period. NoteThe following is an editorialized transcript of our weekly literary podcast. If you would like to listen to the podcast, click...

Bridgerton has taken the world by storm with the book adaptation of this historical fiction series by Netflix of the first book in 2020. We’ve of course watched the whole show and are up to date with the latest episodes! But we’ve recently decided to rewatch the first season of the show and get a fresh perspective on the story. We open our story in Regency-era London, where the new social season h...

We are celebrating reaching the 100th episode of the Fully Booked podcast , taking a moment to thank all the listeners for their support, whether they are new to the show or have been tuning in for a while! We express our gratitude for the interactions and regular listenership, and we are eager to continue for another 100 episodes. NoteThe following is an editorialized transcript of our weekly lit...

We recently reviewed the 2000 film American Psycho, director Mary Harron’s adaptation of the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis. Set in late 1980s New York, it satirizes the wealthy young investment bankers and traders who embodied Wall Street’s greed culture during that era’s financial boom. NoteThe following is an editorialized transcript of the podcast episode about the American Psycho book adapta...

This week, we had an in-depth exploration into the heart of what defines a novel or literary work as truly exemplifying the “Americana” genre . While there are clear overlaps between Americana and American literature as a whole, Americana has a distinct aesthetic and perspective that evokes a strong sense of nostalgia, harkening back to fading memories and ways of life. NoteThe following is an edi...

It’s time for Americana for the month of April! We’re kicking things off with the 2023 adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple (as well as the stage musical of the same name). We are introduced to the story in 1909 Georgia, following two teenage sisters, Celie and Nettie Harris. Celie has been repeatedly impregnated and abused by their father, who takes away her children. The sisters dream o...

We begin discussing the 2024 Netflix miniseries adaptation of the novel One Day by David Nicholls. The 14-episode series faithfully adapts the 2009 book, which was previously made into a 2011 film starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. This new adaptation stars Ambika Maud as Emma Morley and Leah Woodall as Dexter Mayhew in the lead roles. One Day Summary Courtesy of Netflix The premise follows...

We’re kicking off this episode by catching up on our recent reads. Shirin has just started the highly anticipated Bride by Ali Hazelwood but found it giving off more supernatural Underworld vibes than expected Twilight vibes with its arranged marriage between a vampire and werewolf. Meaghan has finished reading Bride and the psychological thriller None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. She raves abo...

In this episode of the podcast Fully Booked , we’re discussing the 2000 Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a modern adaptation of the ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. The film stars George Clooney as Ulysses Everett McGill, an escaped convict who persuades his chain-gang companions Delmar and Pete to join him on a madcap adventure across 1930s Mississippi. Under the preten...

Let’s Talk about myths, baby! We begin our discussion by reflecting on the unseasonably mild winter weather in Canada and how it has left us feeling disoriented about the changing of seasons. Despite our uncertainty, we decided to move forward with the topic at hand – the recent surge in popularity of mythology retellings, especially those inspired by Greek and Roman myths. We note that while such...

Spring is in the air people! It’s time for a brand new theme to dissect and discuss, and this month we’re talking all things mythology and folklore. To kick things off, we’re analyzing the 2010 film adaptation of the young adult novel The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. This is the first book in Riordan’s popular Percy Jackson series about modern-day teenage demigods. We provide background that t...

Welcome to our last episode of the Fully Booked podcast focused on paranormal and supernatural fiction. But how did paranormal fiction get its start, and where is it these days? We’re taking this opportunity to chat about the evolution of the subgenre. Meaghan shares that she has been reading a lot of hockey romance books , which Shirin finds funny and very “Canadian.” Shirin then opens up about t...

It’s time for another paranormal book-to-film adaptation ! This week, we’re talking about a titan of the paranormal genre, Stephen King. His 2013 novel Doctor Sleep may have seemed like a difficult story to adapt for a film going audience, but luckily horror lover and master of adaptations Mike Flanagan was able to successfully pull it off. Doctor Sleep Summary We introduce Doctor Sleep as the seq...

What’s that? You want more paranormal fiction talk? You’ve got it! This podcast episode may be dropping the week before Valentine’s Day, but this week we’re chatting about the scare factor of paranormal fiction. Do these stories always have to be scary? There are so many elements to paranormal fiction, but does horror always have to be one of them? Evolution of Paranormal Stories Getting into the...

It’s a brand new month, baby! And this February, we’re talking all things paranormal. To kick things off, we’re discussing the 2005 film adaptation of Just Like Heaven, starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. Many people probably don’t remember this movie, which currently has mediocre ratings on review sites. The film is actually based on […] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

It is the last week of January, the final stretch of us covering apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction. We seem to love a depressing topic in January – maybe next year we’ll try something more upbeat. Today, we’re wrapping up our analysis of this genre by examining the various subcategories within post-apocalyptic tales. Looking at what catastrophes cause the apocalyptic downfall of society in...

Transitioning from last week’s discussion of Stephenie Meyer’s The Host , which we jokingly describe as a “vague attempt” at stepping outside her Twilight universe that did not succeed, we share that this week we’ll be looking at a much more somber and well-regarded work – the 2009 film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road. Details About The Novel & Movie We provide some key details...

Welcome, listeners to a new episode of our show Fully-Booked . It’s early January, so we question why we chose the rather depressing topic of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction to discuss. But we roll with it, acknowledging that we were looking for something appropriately cold and bleak for the winter season. We briefly recap our discussion from last week about “The Host” and how it ultimate...

We open the first episode of the new year joking about the post-apocalyptic theme reflecting the current state of the world – sometimes we have to laugh instead of cry. We’ve chosen to discuss the largely forgotten 2013 book adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s novel The Host. Capitalizing on her fame from the Twilight saga, this sci-fi, YA fantasy romance failed to find an audience. The Host Premise P...

Welcome, listeners to the final episode of our podcast for 2023! As it’s common for people to share their top reads of the year at this time, we decided to wait until the very end to allow more time to finish reading books. What can we say? We needed all of the time to squeeze in as many great books as possible. Shirin jokes that she has not read enough books this year to even provide five top rea...