The CodeX Cantina

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Let's talk about one of the greatest short stories to come out of Brazil! "Midnight Mass" by Machado de Assis is absolutely amazing. Ambiguity in perspectives, coming of age, and more. It's a psychological exploration that rewards people diving further into it. Machado de Assis Playlist: https://www.youtube.c...

Books we read in Sept and Books to be read in October.

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We are looking at "All the King's Horses" by Kurt Vonnegut this week. Originally released in "Welcome to the Monkey House." A great piece that looks at the Cold War and some themes of fighting with proxies. This was the monthly Patron selection from  @The Nerdy Narrative  ! If you'd like to help cho...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! What exactly happened? It's not a novel. But it's wonderful. It's Brazilian. It's Clarice. She paints with words here and escapes definition. Let's talk about the enigmatic Agua Viva today by Clarice Lispector! Clarice Lispector Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlTHJw_fkuA&list=PLHg_kbfrA7YC6N8nE...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We're talking "Kafka on the Shore" this week by Haruki Murakami! ✨Do you have a Short Story or Novel you'd think we'd like or would want to see us cover? Submit an entry via the Wheel of Destiny on Patreon. 📖 Join our PATREON!: https://www.patreon.com/thecodexcantina ☕️ Buy Us a Coffee/Support my Channel!:...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We all want to know what's the best book to start with for William Faulkner? I remember asking Google what's the best William Faulkner book. But I saw a ton of answers and maybe there is no singular answer for everyone. Sometimes you want that personal touch such as if I knew you were super into crime noir, t...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! One of Japan's most respected authors, Yasunari Kawabata, up for discussion today. Let's look at The Izu Dancer (sometimes called the Dancing Girl of Izu) and talk about some themes of maturity and innocence, cleansing, and a bit about class divide which was easy for us to miss. Our copy came from The Oxford...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Our minds are blown this week by Jorge Luis Borges's "The Library of Babel." This is a thought experiment that Borges pays homage to and it's executed wonderfully! With themes on the infinite, knowledge, we didn't even really go into the religious side but there is so much here we by no means expect what we c...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Let's talk about "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen today. We had very different takes on how to interpret the mother. Did you see elements of feminism and symbolism in the meaning of the iron? Tillie Olsen Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-tonJdrg8g&list=PLHg_kbfrA7YC9YHIib6ngYMti4pmP9iGV...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Let's return to one of Una's favorite authors, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.! He wrote a little story called "The Drone King" in the 1950s but it was never published. Thanks to the Atlantic, we now have access to it. Let's talk about what could be a look at Men's Rights in a return-from-war situation.  Kurt Vonnegu...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Our first Roberto Bolano talk! Let's talk about "Clara" a short story published in the August 4, 2008 issue of The New Yorker! A wonderful piece that we have an interesting take on! We don't expect you have to view this story this way but have an interesting look at how he may be using the Male Gaze to talk a...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Today we are looking at "The Comet" by W. E. B. DuBois. One of the greatest writers to have ever picked up the pen! Let's talk about the color line as well as some possible religious angles for understanding the piece today. W. E. B. DuBois Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3XMVcadnJ8&list=PLHg_k...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Let's talk about "Sanctuary" by William Faulkner today. With themes about justice, good, evil, free will, and choice: there is a lot to dig into here. While Faulkner claimed this is just a potboiler, is there more here to digest? A Southern Gothic novel set in the deep south, make sure you check trigger warni...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Novels:  I Am a Cat by Natsume Soseki   Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton  Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami  Sanctuary by William Faulkner (#FaulknerinAugust, see channels section for participants) National Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 in United States will begin on Wednesday, Se...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! For the background and spoiler-free chat, make sure you check out Shawn's background video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHwWCxW96B0 Today we welcome Shawn the Book Maniac to discuss Canada's 1901 classic "The Man from Glengarry" by Ralph Connor.  Ralph Connor Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! Let's look at our Patreon Selection of the Month, "Magnolia Flower" by Zora Neale Hurston. Obviously, you never have to twist our arm to ever read anything by Zora. She's one of our favorites so thank you to  @The Nerdy Narrative  for being a Patron and for selecting an amazing story! Zora Neale Hur...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We return to talk about a Banana Yoshimoto story. Let's talk about "Dreaming of Kimchee" (also translated to "Dream of Kimchi"). A story about separation, loneliness, the past influencing the present, and more. Our copy was translated by Ann Sherif. Banana Yoshimoto Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We are working through the Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories and have arrived on "Flames" by Yuko Tsushima. We didn't realize this was a chapter in the collected novel  "Territory of Light." What do you guys think of this story? Can it stand on its own? Did you see themes of loss and return to innoc...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We continue our celebration of Women in Translation this month by heading to Brazil. Clarice Lispector writes the final novel of her life with "The Hour of the Star." Some argue it's the peak of her career. It's hard to deny the power this story can deliver. With a heavy theme rooted in class and poverty, the...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We return to our favorite short story collection: Dubliners! Let's talk about another of James Joyce's masterpieces which is "A Painful Case." Whether you're reading this in a box or comparing themes of paralysis and loneliness with other stories in this collection, this is a great piece to break down. Mr. Du...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We continue our chat on Monogatari series today. Looking at Tsubasa Cat with a close reading. What do you guys think of this story? Monogatari Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBD4XkNhLtg&list=PLHg_kbfrA7YDq-plBMayzzV9tW68mnHg8 ✨Do you have a Short Story or Novel you'd think we'd like or would w...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! From the short story collection of the same title, we look at "Toddler-Hunting" today which can be a very polarizing text. With themes that explore very sensitive subjects and how our inner fantasies can become reality, we have a hot discussion today! Our copy was translated by Lucy North. Taeko Kono Playlist...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We look at one of the 20th century's masterpieces, "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck. Written from 1948-1952, this piece is an amazing novel. It's fluid, simple: yet complex and challenging at the same time. If you are looking for a great place to start reading classic literature, this might be the best place...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We are celebrating #WomenInTranslationMonth with Clarice Lispector! We continue to explore her Family Ties collection, today let's look at "A Chicken" (Sometimes translated as "The Chicken" or "The Hen") which is frequently recommended to people as one of Clarice's best stories. It has themes of freedom, util...

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! We are back with another Yoko Ogawa story as we celebrate Women in Translation Month! Today we look at "The Tale of the House of Physics" which we got from the Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories and was edited by Ted Goossen. It's Women in Translation Month for August. This is a great story that seemed to...