Keep It Fictional

We bring you our CanLit book suggestions today if you'd like to join in the "I Read Canadian Day" celebration this year. Also, Sadie has a diabolical "Would You Rather" question for her book friends and all of you listeners out there. Books mentioned on this episode: Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels, Tell Me Pleasant Things about Immortality by Lindsay Wong, Poi...

Al, Sadie, and Virginia face their fears by choosing a book that has something that scares them in it. Books mentioned on this episode: Weyward by Emilia Hart, The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector, translated by Idra Novey, and Mister Magic by Kiersten White.

Today we took book recommendations from other podcasts we listen to. Books mentioned on this episode: The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat, Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd, and Women and Other Monsters:Building a New Mythology by Jess Zimmerman.

We highlight some recent books by authors of Latin American descent on today's episode, as we celebrate the Latin American community and their contributions in October. Bonus: A revelation that is not for the faint of heart about one of our book friends. Books mentioned on this episode: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez, A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens by Raul Palma, The Holy Days of Gregori...

On our 157th episode, the lucky numbers are: 5, 7, and 11. We also discussed our ideal page length for a book. Books mentioned on this episode: The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa by Stephen Buoro, Dead Eleven by Jimmy Juliano, Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton, and The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley.

As Thanksgiving is upon us, we dedicate this episode to authors we are thankful for: Lavie Tidhar, Julie Kagawa, Ursula K. Le Guin, and the Interlibrary Loan system. Books mentioned on this episode: The Circumference of the World by Lavie Tidhar, Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, and The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contempora...

We hope you would pick up a book by an Indigenous author this September and take some time to look through the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Books mentioned on this episode: A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair, Nishga by Jordan Abel, Manikanetish by Naomi Fontaine, translated by Luise von Flotow, and The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.

This episode is dedicated to all the amazing translators out there who made it possible for readers of all languages to read stories from around the world. Thank you so much for all your hard work! Please pick up a book in translation this month! Books mentioned on this National Translation Month episode: The Plotters by Un-Su Kim and translated by Sora Kim-Russell, Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri a...

Dive into the world of art with Al, Corene, and Sadie in today's episode. Let's see what their books say about art, and what their favourite piece of art is. Books mentioned on this episode: Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore, Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman and John Shiffman, and The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova.

We've got more upcoming Fall releases to introduce you to, along with some unpaid product placements. Books mentioned on this episode: What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, tranlsated by Alison Watts, The Owl Cries by Hye-young Pyun, translated by Sora Kim-Russell, The Witches of Bone Hill by Ava Morgyn, The Tatami Time Machine Blues by Tomihiko Morimi, translated by Em...

Crunchy leaves, beautiful fall colours, pumpkin patches, and more new books. Al, Corene, Sadie, and Virginia talk about the upcoming releases they are looking forward to reading this Fall. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week. Books mentioned on this episode: Sleep No More / The Innocent Sleep by Seanan McGuire, The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab, From the Lost and Found Department by Joy Kog...

We are celebrating our 150th episode this week by talking about ten books that have made us the reader we are today. Thank you, listeners, for spending your time with us in the last three years, and we look forward to sharing more book suggestions with you in the future.

We are going to be brave today and tackle a book that intimates us. Books mentioned on this episode: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, and Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges.

Fiona, our resident CanCon and audiobook champion, is heading off to another amazing adventure! Thank you for all the book suggestions in the last few years, Fiona. You have inspired all of us on the podcast to read widely and think deeply about our reading. We wish you all the best! Here's our sendoff, with some books (of course): Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets by Kyo...

We have book recommendations for fans of the TV shows Yellowjackets, Only Murder in the Building, Stranger Things, 99 Day Fiancé (and the other 17 sequels and spin-offs), and Never Have I Ever. Books mentioned on this show: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett, Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber, Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, and Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier.

Go places with Keep It Fictional! We are heading to Upstate New York, London, Nevada, Baghdad, and Berlin. Won't you join us? Books mentioned on this episode: Murder at Teal's Pond: Hazel Drew and the Mystery That Inspired Twin Peaks by David Bushman and Mark T. Givens, Berlin by Bea Setton, The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner, Nevada by Imogen Binnie, and Frankenstein in Baghdad by...

Do you need more than one word to capture the essence of a story? We'll find out today with our one-word titled books. Books mentioned on this episode: Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay, Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew, Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter, Inland by Téa Obreht, and Luminous by Mara Rutherford.

Explore some favourite tropes of ours in this episode: found families, secret magic, unreliable narrators, and fake dating. Books mentioned on this episode: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman, Too Much Like Lightning by Ada Palmer, True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling, and Frankly in Love by David Yoon.

What's in a name? Today we picked books that have a person's name in the title, bringing you Jamaican-Trinidadian folktales, ghosts and scavenger hunt, comic books with iguanas and coyotes, and mechs that appreciate music. Books mentioned on this episode: The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts by Soraya Palmer, Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia, The D...

Take a break from reality and step into an alternate universe. Your travel guides today include Allison, Sadie, Virginia, and a special guest! Books mentioned on this episode: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, translated by Jay Rubin Philip Gabriel, A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab, Famous Men Who Never Lived by K Chess, and Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine.

Should celebrities become authors and write novels or should they stay in their lane? That's the question we try to answer in today's Keep It Fictional. Which celebrity wrote the most bananapants book? Who put on a tween girl voice for the audiobook? Whose work was labeled as "aggressively bland"? Books mentioned on this episode: The Reservoir by David Duchovny, Elixir by Hilary...

Celebrate Pride with books from LGBTQ+ authors this month and beyond. Books mentioned on this episode: An Archive of Brightness by Kelsey Socha, The Big Reveal by Sasha Velour, Delhi: Communities of Belonging by Sunil Gupta and Charan Singh, Without You by Anthony Rapp, and Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. (Wait, do we have more non-fiction today than fiction? That may be a Keep It Fictional fi...

Listeners know that Corene, Fiona, Sadie, and Virginia all like different kinds of books, so what will happen if they are "forced" to read the same book? Find out on this "buddy read" episode. Also, we find out whom among the staff at Port Moody Public Library do they trust when it comes to book recommendations. Who on our staff may be your book twin? Check out the Staff Picks...

Get to know Allison from their favourite books, and of course, from their answers to some existential questions. Books mentioned on this episode: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, Letter Perfect by David Sacks, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, and The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman.

Things are about to get weird on Keep It Fictional. This week, we bring you sentient sourdough, sentient car, sentient train, sentient robot moose, sentient gingerbread people, and more! Books mentioned on this episode: A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, Christine by Stephen King, and The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz.