Tales In Our Times

For this episode, Janet walks us through the history and development of Romance as a literary genre. We talk about some of the classics as well as the things that separate Romance narratives from other types of stories. See below for books mentioned! Intro song Bookmark and editing by Quatroizer . Logo art by Gabriel de Mello . Books Mentioned: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune The Return of F...

We did a quick little interstitial episode talking all about what we’re looking forward to during the upcoming National Book Festival in Washington, DC! No books mentioned just yet, but we’ll update once we return from our trip! Intro song Bookmark and editing by Quatroizer . Logo art by Gabriel de Mello .

For the second episode we recorded since releasing the show, we tackle the vast open field of comedy in all its glory. The storied history, the cultural repercussions, and hey— what’s up with the lack of comedy novels? See below for books mentioned. Intro song Bookmark and editing by Quatroizer . Logo art by Gabriel de Mello . Books Mentioned: The Rhythm of Time by Questlove and SA Cosby The Retur...

Whodunnit is the question at hand this week, dear listener! Tune in to listen to Janet walk George through the history of the murder mystery, expound upon why they’re her go-to books to read, and generally goof around while we chat a bit of rubbish. See below for books mentioned! Intro song Bookmark and editing by Quatroizer . Logo art by Gabriel de Mello . Books Mentioned: Let Us Believe in the B...

In this episode, George and Janet talk about one of George’s favorite literary genres—Horror. The many ways in which we can relate to narratives centered around otherness and the toll of trauma responses take center stage this week, as we trace Horror’s history through gothic Europe into the modern American tradition. See below for books mentioned! (Lots for this episode!) Intro song Bookmark and...

Of course we couldn’t leave the Dads out! For this Father’s Day episode (who’s got an inconsistent and delayed release schedule? Not us!), George and Janet look at the ways in which their own fathers influenced their reading habits, from overseas read-alongs to county-wide library jaunts, and also the ways in which fathers appear in other narratives. See below for books mentioned! Intro song Bookm...

In the first episode outside of our test group, Janet and George dive into the history behind histories. Or, sort of. We look at the genre of historical fiction, our personal experiences with books under its umbrella, and the importance of getting multiple different narratives into one story. We recorded this at the end of June, so while we catch up to our current release schedule, please pardon l...

For our fifth episode, the last episode in our series of test run episodes, we highlight the narratives that we tell and hear about Mothers, as a treat for Mother’s Day. We look at how our own Mothers shaped our lives and narrative tastes, and how the way we tell stories about them changes the way that we perceive them overall. See below for books mentioned! Intro song Bookmark and editing by Quat...

Our third episode is all about the stories about the self. Janet and George explore the ways in which biographies and memoirs possess their own special space in the world of narrative. We look at stories that authors tell about themselves and stories that authors tell about other people. See below for books mentioned! Intro song Bookmark and editing by Quatroizer . Books Mentioned: Rest is Resista...

For our second episode, George and Janet dive into the origins of narrative by looking at myths. We discuss our humble beginnings as storytellers, moving up the timeline from the Epic of Gilgamesh to the Ancient Greek myths, further onward into the development of printed books. We try on a new name with too many syllables, and continue to bumble our way through learning proper podcast microphone e...

In our inaugural episode, George and Janet examine the medium of audiobooks. We investigate their history, discuss their benefits and differences from printed books, and talk about the things we like most about them. Intro song Bookmark and editing by Quatroizer .