Keep It Fictional

In the upcoming episodes, we will be reading books on a topic that we tend to associate with one of our book friends. First up, Fiona and books about nuns (and other clergy). Books mentioned in this episode: One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters, Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Luchette, Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather, and The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier.

Buckets of spiders. Talking animals. Folk songs about bad people. Corene, Fiona, Gabriel, Mark, and Virginia recommends a Southern Gothic. Books mentioned on this episode: The Cutting Season by Attica Locke, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock, A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs, and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin.

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada. Join us in celebrating the many wonderful voices. Also, there is a point to short stories, and Gabriel draws the line at centipede gaming chairs. Books mentioned in this episode: In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar, Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, and Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Z. Hossain.

We have another new book friend! Welcome Mark to the Keep It Fictional family. Let us introduce you to Mark by telling you about one of his favourite books..with very strong feelings. Books mentioned on this episode: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami, and On Earth W...

An episode Fiona has been waiting for: Family Sagas. Do we have some creative interpretations of the theme? You betcha! Books mentioned in this episode: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova, and Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin. (And kudos to Gabriel for trying to explain the gazillion narratives in...

Welcome to Part 2 of our Most Anticipated Reads of 2022 (May - August) episode. We can't wait for these books to arrive in the next few months: Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo, The Sisters Sputnik by Terri Favro, Death by Landscape by Elvia Wilk, The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean, Cult Classic by Sloan Crosley, The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic S...

We're here to add books to your TBR. Check out the upcoming titles Corene, Fiona, Gabriel, and Virginia are looking forward to reading. Stories may include heists, enemies-to-lovers, mushroom foraging, and blood magic. Books mentioned in this episode: The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas, Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler, The Witchery by S. Isabelle, The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez, The...

To celebrate Sadie and Liz, our two book friends who have recently become parents, the four of us decided to tackle a book about parenthood. We feel like we may have failed this assignment a little bit...Books mentioned in this episode: I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins, Nightwing Vol. 1: Better Than Batman by Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez, With Teeth by Kristen Arnett,...

And the award goes to... In today's episode, we celebrate the fantastic books that have won literary awards. Books mentioned: The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris, They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed, and Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire.

Judge the book by its cover or judge the book by its title? We're doing the latter today by talking about books that we picked up because they have got an amazing titles. You will also get a lesson on the right way to say the name "Thrawn". Books mentioned in this episode: Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden, The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy...

CBC's Canada Reads is an annual literary event Port Moody Public Library staff and patrons look forward to every year. In this episode, Corene, Fiona, Gabriel, and Virginia each champions one of the 2022 contenders to be the "one book to connect us"...all (a very LOTR sounding theme?) Books mentioned in this episode:  Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, Life In the City of Dirty Water by Cl...

This week definitely feels like we're living in one of the apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic books we shared in this episode. This is Liz's last episode with us before she goes on her temporary leave. What will the world of Keep It Fictional be like after this? Tune in next week to find out. Books mentioned in this episode: Severance by Ling Ma, Familiar Things by Hwang Sok-yong, Brown Girl in the R...

Whether you have worked in a cubicle or not, we think you'll enjoy these books set in an office (or sometimes, a nightmare office). Books mentioned on this episode: The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips, Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix, and There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura, translated by Polly Barton.

Here at Keep It Fictional, we always aim to amplify different marginalized voices, no matter what time of the year it is. During this Black History Month, we want to dedicate an episode to celebrate stories by black authors. We urge you to pick up a book by a black author too. Here are the books we share on this episode: Frying Plaintain by Zalika Reid-Benta, Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason R...

We welcome Gabriel, a new book friend to our Keep It Fictional podcast, by reading a book on their top ten list. Books mentioned on this episode: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Tsubasa by CLAMP.

How many times have you looked at your phone today? In today's episode, we share books that explore the impact of technology. Books mentioned in this episode: Tell the Machine Goodnight by Katie Williams, Feed by M.T. Anderson, Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida, Bored and Brilliant by Manoush Zomorodi, and Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier.

Take a chance...on a debut novel and a new author. Corene, Liz, and Virginia share some fantastic debuts in today's episode. Books mentioned: The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund, The Korean Vegan Cookbook by Joanne Lee Molinaro, and Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez.

It's Liz's and Virginia's turn to tell you about the books coming out in the first four months of 2022 that they are looking forward to reading. Things may get a bit dark here as you may expect from those two. Books mentioned in this episode: Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka, Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo, Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, How High We Go in the Dark by...

New Year, New Books! Corene and Fiona share the titles they are most looking forward to reading in the next few months. Books mentioned in this episode: The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder, Mindful of Murder by Susan Juby, Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu, The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang, The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-mo, Portr...

How do you do a vibe check to see if you will likely enjoy a book or not? Read the blurbs by other authors on the book. In today's episode, Corene, Liz, and Virginia talk about books we read because they were blurbed or recommended by authors we like and respect. Books mentioned: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, Version Control by Dexter Palmer, and Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garc...

Happy New Year, listeners! To a brand new year of reading! What kinds of books do you like to read during winter? In today's book chat, we talk about some wintery reads for us. Very timely, since it's pretty snowy over the holidays in Vancouver, BC. Books mentioned in this episode: Melmoth by Sarah Perry, Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, and The Second Bell by Gabriela Houston. 

Last week, Corene, Fiona, Liz, and Virginia talked about their number three to five favourite books of 2021. This week, we revealed our top two picks of the year, with a shocking turn of events. Thank you once again to all our listeners for supporting our podcast. We'll be taking a holiday break for the rest of the year. See you in 2022! Happy Reading!

We're counting down to our top five picks of books published in 2021. What books captured our hearts and made a difference in our lives this year? Find out in this special two-part series. Be sure to tune in next week for part two.

We give a sneak preview to our upcoming Social Justice Book Club Sets at the Port Moody Public Library by talking about some of the titles available. Books mentioned in this episode: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph, and Biased: Uncovering the Hidden...

In this episode, we challenge ourselves to go read the book that has been on our To-Be-Read (TBR) list for the longest. Do you keep a TBR? How often do you add or purge books from it? Books mentioned in this episode: Waiting by Ha Jin, Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher, Disappearing Moon Cafe by Sky Lee, and Porcupines and China Dolls by Robert Arthur Alexie.