Keep It Fictional

There are just so many great books by authors of Asian descent that we are back to suggest more titles for adults. Books mentioned in this episode: Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra, How to Pronounce Knife: Stories by Souvankham Thammavongsa, Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee, Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin, and Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life...

This week, we highlight kids' and teen book by authors of Asian descent. Books mentioned in this episode: The Comeback by E.L. Shen, Midsummer's Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca, City of Secrets by Victoria Ying, Thao by Thao Lam, and The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco.

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada. We will be highlighting titles by authors of Asian descent this month. Books mentioned in this episode: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, Dragon Springs Road by Janie Chang, Women of the Silk of Gail Tsukiyama, and Paper Shadows by Wayson Choy.  

Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia continue to gush about books they are looking forward to reading this summer. Be sure to check out Part One. Books mentioned in this episode: The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin, Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia, The Very Nice Box by Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett, The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker, The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo, My Heart i...

Here are some books coming out in May-August 2021 we're excited to read. What books caught your eye? Books mentioned in this episode: The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, Pumpkin by Julie Murphy, Ranbow Milk by Paul Mendez, The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley, The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison B...

 ‌ We're‌ ‌all‌ ‌animal‌ ‌lovers‌ ‌on‌ ‌this‌ ‌show,‌ ‌but‌ ‌none‌ ‌of‌ ‌us‌ ‌read‌ ‌a‌ ‌lot‌ ‌of‌ ‌books‌ ‌about‌ ‌animals.‌ ‌The‌ ‌stories‌ ‌are‌ ‌often‌ ‌more‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌sad‌ ‌side,‌ ‌and‌ ‌we‌ ‌tend‌ ‌to‌ ‌avoid‌ ‌them,‌ ‌so‌ ‌please‌ ‌enjoy‌ ‌these‌ ‌animal‌ ‌and‌ ‌animal-adjacent‌ ‌books‌ ‌we‌ ‌have‌ ‌chosen‌ ‌for‌ ‌you.‌ ‌Books‌ ‌mentioned‌ ‌in‌ ‌this‌ ‌episode:‌ ‌Hollow‌ ‌Kingdom‌ ‌...

So many bodies. Who do you call when you need a mystery solved? Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia have some suggestions for amateur sleuths and private investigators for you. Books mentioned in this episode: Every Secret Thing by Emma Cole, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair, This Body is Not Big Enough for Both of Us by Edgar Cantero, and T...

There's definitely more that happens in these small towns than you might think. Books mentioned in this episode: The Bright Lands by John Fram, The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh, Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan, When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten, and A Killer in King's Cove by Iona Whishaw.

We're totally judging a book by its cover in this episode, but don't let these bad covers (according to us) fool you. These are great books, we promise! Books mentioned: Crosshairs by Catherine Hernandez, Good Talk by Mira Jacob, Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong, To be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers, and The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie. R. King.

Do we know what "magical realism" is? Are the books we picked for this episode really "magical realism"? Can Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia survive all the existential crises created by four rounds of "Would you rather..."? Find out in this episode. Books mentioned: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, Sharks in the Time of Saviours by...

Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia talk about fiction and non-fiction that help us build empathy and learn more about the immigrant and refugee experience. Books mentioned in this episode: Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri, American Street by Ibi Zoboi, Displacement by Kiku Hughes, We Have Always Been Here by Samra Habib, and The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio.

Join us for another book chat, where we share our historical fiction picks, and our strong feelings about prequels and sequels. Books mentioned in this episode: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent,  A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, The Birth House by Ami McKay, The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley, and Conjure Women by Afia Atakora.

Are you a fan of movie and TV adaptations of books? Find out who is and who isn't on our panel. Regardless of our strong feelings, we did each read a book that is going to be adapted in 2021. Books mentioned in this episode: Set My Heart to Five by Simon Stephenson, Passing by Nella Larsen, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, Shadow and Bone by Le...

February 17, 2021 is the first ever "I Read Canadian Day". The Keep It Fictional team celebrate it by sharing some of our recent favourite CanLit. We also play a round of "Are they Canadians?". See how many you can get right. Books mentioned in this episode: Hand Drawn Vancouver: Sketches of the City's Neighbourhoods, Buildings, and People by Emma FitzGerald, The Centaur's Wife by Amanda Leduc, Na...

It's Corene's favourite topic! In this book chat, we talk about a variety of True Crime books for readers with different comfort levels. Books discussed in this episode: Tricky Vic by Greg Pizzoli, The Library Book by Susan Orlean, Murder by Milkshake by Eve Lazarus, The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale, and The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich.

We are talking music today: biographies of musicians, novels about made-up bands, and thoughts on live concerts. Books mentioned in this episode: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni, illustrated by Thibault Balahy, White Tears by Hari Kunzru, The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrou...

Our first episode for the shortest month of the year is fittingly about novellas. Even though we are talking about this short form of writing, we sure have a long debate about it. Books mentioned in this episode: The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho, The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark, The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang, The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman, and Upright Wom...

So many new books! We highlight more upcoming book releases we are looking forward to reading in the next few months. Books mentioned in this episode: The Witch's Heart by by Genevieve Gornichec, Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson, Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson, Road Allowance Era by Katherena Vermette, The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard, Outlawed by Anna North, Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de...

A brand new year means brand new books! We highlight some upcoming book releases that we are excited to read. Books mentioned in this episode: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, The Conductors by Nicole Glover, Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas, Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo, The Helm of Midnight by Marina Lostetter, In the Garden of Spite by Camilla Bruce, Don't Call it a Cult by Sarah Berman, De...

Happy New Year, everyone! Today, Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie and Virginia talk about a Self Help book that they're reading to start their new year.  Books mentioned in this episode:  Skincare by Caroline Hirons Organize for a Fresh Start by Susan Fay West Do Nothing by Celeste Anne Headlee Supermaker by Jaime Schmidt Atomic Habits by James Clear Happy Reading!

We are counting down our top five 2020 reads. Find out which books made Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia's lists. Hope you'll add some of our favourites to your TBR for the new year. For our complete list of Staff Picks, please visit http://portmoodylibrary.ca/staffpicks2020   A big thank you to all the amazing authors that kept us going in 2020. Here's to another year of amazing books...

'Tis the season for cozy, heartwarming reads, served occasionally with a side of murder. Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia discussed books, favourite holiday food and drinks, and of course, argued about which is the best A Christmas Carol adaptation. Books mentioned in this episode: Hark! The Herald Angels Scream, an anthology edited by Christopher Golden, Happy Narwhalidays by Ben Clanton,...

Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia talk about our favourite reimagined fairy tales, myths, classics...and Muppet's adaptations. Books mentioned in this episode: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Pride by Ibi Zoboi, and Legendborn by Tracy Deonn.

Corene, Fiona, Liz, Sadie, and Virginia suggest graphic novels, mystery, science fiction, and fantasy books by black authors. Books mentioned in this episode: March by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett, The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden, A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney, and Check, Please by Ngozi Ukazu.

It's impossible to choose just one graphic novel to talk about, but we did it, just for you. We hope our suggestions showcase the variety of stories that are being told in this format. Books mentioned in this episode: Blankets, Nimona, The Best We Could Do, Yotsuba&!, and When Stars are Scattered.