Canonical

We kick off our new series Life Under Communism, with a review of The Passport by Nobel prize winner Herta Müller. In a terse prose style, Müller uses surreal imagery to tell the story of ethnic Germans living in 1980s Romania and what they must do to get ahold of the passports necessary to leave the country.   For this series we will be reviewing and discussing Herta Muller's The Passport Aug 12-26, László Krasznahorkai's Satantango Sept 2-16, and The Garlic Ballads Sept 23 - Oct 7. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Today we conclude our series Rich Country/Poor Country by taking a second look at all three novels, The Disaster Tourist, The Sympathizer, and Paradise. We'll take a closer look at how forcefully these authors present their political views, the differences between state and corporate power in these novels, and James will get really angry when Viet Thanh Nguyen doubts the value of creative writing workshops. For our series on Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise Jul 15-29. You can join discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a  book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We're concluding our discussion of Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise by taking a look at what it has to say about justice and colonialism. We connect this novel to the ethical debate about the origins of justice. Can Eyad successfully make the case that this is a philosophical novel? For our series Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise Jul 15-29. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We're continuing our discussion of Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise, today exploring whether a comparison to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is fair, and what the purpose of the religious subtext might be. Does it hurt the novel to have hidden meaning if cultural touchstones are beyond your understanding? (Spoiler: no.) For our series on Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise Jul 15-29. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We're concluding our series Rich Country, Poor Country with Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise, a quiet but surprising novel that is at turns perhaps a hero's journey, a travel narrative, a historical fiction, a bildungsroman, and a philosophical exploration. Though Gurnah does not have as much presence in the US, this novel is one of his best known and among those that earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2021. Tune in to hear what makes all those elements come together. For our series on Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise Jul 15-29. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We're wrapping up our look at Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer prize winning novel The Sympathizer with an analysis of the racial and political implications of the novel. Nguyen is pretty outspoken about how race might influence the way a reader reacts to communism, and also how minority and majority writers address an audience. So who is Nguyen trying to speak to? Tune in to find out. For our series on Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Rivka Galchen's Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch is a darkly funny historical novel about witchcraft, justice, and stupidity: Through the story of how Katharina Kepler, mother of famous astronomer Johannes Kepler, was accused of witchcraft, Galchen shows us how your community can turn on you, how people are governed by greed, and how flimsy "justice" often is. Tune into this mini-review to find out how this novel might give you some solace in our troubling times, or at least a few laughs. You can join our discussion here:https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we're continuing our discussion of Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer, this time exploring Nguyen's themes of duality and divided existence between different lives and continents. Listen to hear why this book made us want to reread Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. For our series on Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Our apologies as illness delayed the release of this episode.  This week we are reviewing a book that was hailed by some as one of the most important books of the decade-- and perhaps the century?  While we agreed The Sympathizer was a good read, opinions differed on whether or not it was great.  We also debated how important a novel voice is to the success of novel. For our series on Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise Jul 15-29. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We conclude our discussion of Yun Ko-Eun's The Disaster Tourist by comparing it to Parasite and Squid Game, two other Korean works that may share a similar message about capitalism. Does an anti-capitalist trend in Korea mean that Korean politics will soon become more like American politics? And, most importantly, how does this all affect Kid Rock's bank account? Tune in to find out. For our series on Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise Jul 15-29. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we're continuing our discussion of Yun Ko-eun’s The Disaster Tourist with a focus on everyone's favorite topic: literary criticism! We're in the deep end of it this time, exploring whether the ecocritical concerns are weighed fairly against the book’s humanist ideals. Was this not-too-careful novel more careful about ecological disaster? For our series on Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we read The Disaster Tourist by South Korean writer Yun Ko-eun, her first novel to be translated into English.  Labeled by reviewers as a literary thriller, eco-thriller, and political thriller, James found it more disastrous than thrilling.  But can the novel's ideas rescue it from the recycle bin of disappointing literature? For our series on Rich Country | Poor Country, we will read and discuss three novels: Yun Ko-eun's The Disaster Tourist Jun 3 - 17, Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer Jun 24 - Jul 8, and Abdulrazak Gurnah's Paradise. You can join our Reddit discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This might be unlike any novel you've ever read before. It's a novel but it's nonfiction; it's about true events but it's important that you understand some parts are false; and it shows you the very human repercussions of a part of science that usually feels distant and intangible.  Tune into this mini-review to find out how this unusual, idiosyncratic novel has as much to say about our minds as it does the world around us. You can join our discussion here:https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

And that's a wrap for our series on the Novel in Stories! We examine how this kind of composite structure might work in film with Wong Kar-Wai's 2004 movie 2046, and discuss whether it is similar in structure to novels in stories. We also talk about some of our discoveries with this kind of "novel" structure. For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a  book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

In this episode, we wonder who the heck Anthony Marra thinks he is, an American (!) writing about Russians (!!) in The Tsar of Love and Techno (!!!). Eyad asks if this is an issue. We then talk about possible good results from such transcultural writing and whether all writers are afforded such a luxury equally. Finally, we transcend to the stars alongside Kolya (spoiler?) to discuss a critic's notion of the cosmonomad transcultural writer. Enjoy! For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Tsar of Love and Techno or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

In this episode we talk about the historical context of Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno. Sam begins by giving us a history lesson. We then try to apply this book to current events. James has a love affair with the word 'tenuous'. We end by ruminating over what themes make this novel work as a work of literature. Enjoy!   What is the historical context of the book? (1:15)  Is the historical context necessary? (6:05)  Does this book actually engage with history or is the historical events just window dressing? (11:00)  Is removing a confederate statue similar to the censoring that the book depicts about Soviet purges? (16:30)  Is Marra saying something about truth?  Or perhaps something about art? Or community? (20:50)   For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Tsar of Love and Techno or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Anthony Marra's first book A Constellation of Vital Phenomena was an award-winning bestseller and his third book Mercury Pictures Presents (set to be released in a few months) is getting a lot of buzz in the biz.  So naturally we decide to give our attention to Marra's overlooked middle child The Tsar of Love and Techno.  Reminiscent of Donna Tartt's Goldfinch, Tsar is fantastically written but we question where this belongs in the literary canon.  Other questions that we discuss: Is this a novel or a collection?  What's the story behind the weird Greek literary award this book won? And can someone explain to James what Sarah Jessica Parker is doing on the back of his book?!  These and more in this week's review.  For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Tsar of Love and Techno or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

What is this book about?  Is it about class protest? Is it about trauma? Both? For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join our book club discussion here:  https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying There But For The or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We're continuing our look at Ali Smith's There But For The with an examination of empathy and borders. You might not imagine that those two themes go well together in a novel, but Sam makes a pretty convincing point in this episode. For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join our book club discussion here:  https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying There But For The or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

What is it about Jonathan Franzen's latest novel Crossroads that has many claiming it to be best novel yet by the most important novelist of our time? Expectations are incredibly high for this novel, the first in a proposed trilogy. Tune in to find out if the novel lives up to the hype. You can join our discussion here:https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Crossroads or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Ali Smith's new book Companion Piece has just been published, but we're actually reviewing an older book of hers: There But For The. We talk about the structure of this novel-in-stories and how it differs in form from Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad. We also talk about why this very good novel may not have widespread appeal and how voice and race comes into play in a book not overtly about race. For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying There But For The or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Hey aging punk rockers, We're wrapping up our deep dive into Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, focusing a bit more on the structure this time. Eyad wants to explore the story cycle structure and how that works in tandem with the theme of time, the titular goon squad beating and thieving from us all. For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying A Visit from the Goon Squad or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

What theme unifies A Visit from the Goon Squad? Do any of the individual stories stand out? In this episode we discuss the different ways these stories work individually and together. For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying A Visit from the Goon Squad or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

On the eve of the publication of Egan's novel The Candy House, we review her 2011 prize winning prequel A Visit from the Goon Squad. We introduce our new series: A Novel in Stories, and talk about communing with David Foster Wallace, our alternate reality competitive canoeing podcast, and what's missing in this really really (really!) good book. For this series, we will read and discuss three novels-in-stories: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad Mar 25 - Apr 8, Ali Smith's There But For The Apr 15- 29, and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno May 6 - 20. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying A Visit from the Goon Squad or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we wrap up our Contemporary Utopian Fiction series by discussing all the ways they are impossible.  Impossible to take seriously.  Impossible fits for the postmodern world. Impossible to dramatize in fiction.  In this wide-ranging conversation we touch on Asimov, Thomas More, Paradise Lost, Camelot, and Eyad even spoils The Good Place for you (be forewarned!). For this series we read and discussed Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. Next week we will begin our new series on Novels in Stories by reviewing Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Eyad reviews Yoko Tawada's new novel Scattered All Over the Earth.  Tawada is one of our favorite writers and we loved her 2014 novel The Emissary which we read as part of our Contemporary Japanese Fiction series two years ago.  Does her new novel live up to our lofty expectations? You can join our book club discussion here:https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Scattered All Over the Earth or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we dive into the central theme of the book-- anarchism-- and discuss whether or not it is still relevant 50 years after the publication of The Dispossessed.  What does Le Guin have to say about anarchism? Is it specific to a particular school of anarchism?  1:05 What are the new forms of power explored in the book? 27:05 Is Shevek's research into the nature of time anarchist in any sense? 35:50 Kim Stanley Robinson says his and Le Guin's forms of leftist politics are different, but the differences don't matter. If they don't matter now, when do they matter? 43:10 For this series we read and discussed Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. Next week we will wrap up the series by discussing all three of these books. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Dispossessed or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

The Dispossessed describes a radical political ideology but are there any aspects of this book that are, in fact, not radical? This week we look at this book from the point of view of linguistics, sexual politics and more. What is the novel saying about sexuality and the nuclear family? Is the novel taking a radical position? 1:35 Can a civilization be shaped by its language?  Was Le Guin's application of this idea believable? 19:15 Is The Dispossessed trying to be radical? 34:33  For this series we will read and discuss Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Dispossessed or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we review a classic of philosophical science fiction: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin.  Why read The Dispossessed? 1:05 Are the Anarres chapters boring? 4:20 Is this an example of the best science fiction can offer? 9:55 Is Le Guin's philosophical discussion too earnest? 17:35  Is this book still relevant? 21:00   For this series we will read and discuss Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Dispossessed or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Eyad leads this episode's discussion as we finish up our examinations of Resnick's utopian story cycle Kirinyaga.  Does this book say anything about postcolonial African politics? (1:00) Why do readers feel upset when white writers write about black subject matter? (8:45) Are Western writers unable to represent other cultures in fiction? (22:15) For this series we will read and discuss Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Kirinyaga or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This is week 2 of our discussion on Resnick's Kirinyaga. Ostensibly this collection is a fable but perhaps it shouldn't be labeled as such? And hey does this book remind anyone of our contemporary political landscape? These questions (and more!) as we talk about the problems in this work of utopian sci-fi. For this series we will read and discuss Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Kirinyaga or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick is an odd little book.  It's about post-colonial Africa and the future of the Kikuyu, an ethnic group native to Kenya-- but it's written by a white man from the Midwest.  The stories were published separately, but this book was sold as a linked collection.  And is this really about utopias?   This week we review one of the most awarded science fiction collections ever (if you don't believe this, Resnick will set you straight) and try to figure out if it's worth our time and yours. For this series we will read and discuss Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Paradise or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we discuss Fox News' favorite bogeyman du jour, Critical Race Theory, and how it pertains to this novel. What does Critical Race Theory have to do with utopias? What is Morrison saying about ideological fixity? There are some spoilers in this episode, so if you haven't finished the book yet, check out our spoiler-free discussion in our review. For this series we will read and discuss Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Paradise or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We're continuing our analysis of Toni Morrison's 1998 novel Paradise by examining some of the religious and magical aspects of the novel. The way Morrison uses the supernatural in her work has always vexed Sam, so tune in to see if you can help him figure out the ending of this novel. For this series we will read and discuss Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Paradise or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We kick off our new series with a review of Toni Morrison's Paradise, the third book in her Beloved trilogy.  Not as well known or well regarded as her other books, we explore why this book should still be read studied today. For this series we will read and discuss Toni Morrison's Paradise Jan 14-28, Mike Resnick's Kirinyaga Feb 4-18, and Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed Feb 25 - Mar 11. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Paradise or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We wrap up our series on Bad Adaptations by reviewing Ryusuke Hamaguchi's film Drive My Car, an excellent adaptation of the Murakami story of the same name.  Also we dip our toes in structuralism (and quickly leave the pool).  This is the last episode of Bad Adaptation a series where we read good books turned into bad movies.  You can find our previous episodes on Ballard's High-Rise, and Tartt's The Goldfinch and Faulkner's As I Lay Dying in our archives.  Next week we will begin a new series on contemporary utopias with Toni Morrison's Paradise. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Haruki Marukami another author from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episod

This week we invite author and friend of the pod Jon Sealy (http://www.jonsealy.com/) to join us for a discussion of As I Lay Dying.  We talk about the different ways we understand the novel, if this is an example of literary cubism and whether Faulkner still has any resonance for people from the South today. This is the last book in our series Bad Adaptation where we read good books turned into bad movies.  You can find our previous episodes on Ballard's High-Rise, and Tartt's The Goldfinch in our archives.  Next week we will wrap up the series with a "good" adaptation: Haruki Murakami's Drive My Car. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying As I Lay Dying  or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Hello fellow Literature snobs!   Today we review a classic—Faulkner's As I Lay Dying—and a less than stellar adaptation by James Franco. Is the adaptation really all that bad? Is it even possible to adapt this book? We mull over those and other questions.   You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying As I Lay Dying  or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Last week we discussed the merits of the criticisms lobbed at Tartt's The Goldfinch, the chief of which was that this was not real Literature. This week we argue the opposite: James and Eyad offer two ways of reading the book and we cap off our discussion with Donna Tartt's views about how religion can influence fiction. This is the second book of our Bad Adaptation series where we read good books turned into bad movies.  You can find Ballard's High-Rise, the first book of our series in our archives.  Next week we will continue with Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Goldfinch  or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes

Today we review The Goldfinch, the second book in Bad Adaptation, a series of episodes all about good books made into bad movies. How does this book compare to The Secret History, Tartt's first novel which we reviewed last year.  We also discuss the Pulitzer backlash surrounding The Goldfinch.  Was it warranted?  Is this a work of literature? For this series, we'll also be taking a look at the widely panned 2019 film adaptation. How does the film try and fail to capture the momentum of The Goldfinch?  You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Goldfinch  or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

In this episode we chart Laing's psychological journey in High-Rise and discuss whether or not this portrayal differs in the film.  We also discuss Ballard's claims that good science fiction should show a roadmap for the audience and whether or not the building is actually a-- gasp-- utopia?! This is the first book in Bad Adaptation, a series of episodes all about good books made into bad movies. Join us next week as we continue with Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying High-Rise  or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

J.G. Ballard's fiction had a way of focusing on the psychological pressures of modern life and in his 1975 novel High-Rise he explores how quickly the lives of the middle-class can descend into chaos when they begin sharing close quarters in a high-rise. The conveniences of modern living very quickly give way to something more sinister, the experience of which may end up being transformative.     This is the first book in Bad Adaptation, a series of episodes all about good books made into bad movies, so alongside the novel, we'll also be taking a look at director Ben Wheatley's 2015 film adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, and Sienna Miller. How does the film try and fail to capture the ambiguity of Ballard's vision? Tune in to find out!  You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying High-Rise  or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We've read three books about climate change-- so what?  Can fiction actually impact the real world?  A recent published psychological suggests it might; should novelists write with the aim of changing hearts and minds?  These questions and more in this discussion as we wrap up our series on climate change. Our book club discussion continues here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. Next week, we begin our Bad Adaptation series where we read good books that were adapted into bad movies.  We start with J.G. Ballard's High Rise. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Weather is a great book.  What makes it so good?  This week we discuss the style and plot and how Offill manages to capture this feeling of being alive. This is the last book in our series on climate fiction.  Previously we read A Children‘s Bible by Lydia Millet and The Man with the Compound Eyes by Wu Ming-Yi You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Weather  or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes

Reading a novel while awaiting the imminent climate apocalypse isn't the best way to spend one's time, but if you do wish to spend your pre-apocalypse days buried in a book, Offill's Weather is a fantastic choice.  Listen to our review and find out why! This is the last book in our series on climate fiction where we read A Children‘s Bible by Lydia Millet and The Man with the Compound Eyes by Wu Ming-Yi You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Weather  or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Last week we panned The Man with the Compound Eyes.  This week we discuss whether looking at this book from an ecocritical perspective can rescue this work from irrelevance.  Join us as Eyad explains how those brainy ivory tower nerds might help us understand the real meaning of this book after all. This is the second book in our series on climate fiction.  We started this series with A Children‘s Bible by Lydia Millet and will also read Weather by Jenny Offill. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Man with the Compound Eyes or another book (really we'd go with another book) from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Welcome to Apocalypse Soon: Book 2!  Our climate fiction series continues with Wu Ming-Yi's The Man with the Compound Eyes. Reviewers have compared Wu's work to Murakami-- does this book justify that comparison?  No, it does not.   In fact this book is in contention for the Vagabonds prize for the worst book that we read this year.  In this episode we talk about why this fell well short of our expectations.     This is the second book in our series on climate fiction.  We started this series with A Children‘s Bible by Lydia Millet and will also read Weather by Jenny Offill. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Man with the Compound Eyes or another book (really we'd go with another book) from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we present different readings of A Children's Bible.  We puzzle through the parents' disappearance, Jack's illness and Art equaling the Holy Ghost.  Also, Eyad explains to you why this book is great. This is the first book in our series on climate fiction.  In our upcoming episodes we will also read and discuss The Man with the Compound Eyes by Wu Ming Yi and Weather by Jenny Offill. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying A Children's Bible or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We kick off our climate fiction series Apocalypse Soon! with a review of Lydia Millet's A Children's Bible.  We discuss the narrative voice and the tone of this eerie apocalyptic allegory.  We also talk about how Millet uses the bible here as a way of structuring the book and whether or not this book is realist or (gasp) magical realism.  And as always, one of us loved this book and would recommend it to everyone (but you'll never guess who!). This is the first book in our series on climate fiction.  In our upcoming episodes we will also read and discuss The Man with the Compound Eyes by Wu Ming Yi and Weather by Jenny Offill. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying A Children's Bible or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

The recent popularity of Nigerian fiction coincided with the rise of Nigeria and its middle class.  What constraints does this put on Nigerian fiction, if any?  And why do we want to read fiction from rapidly developing countries like Nigeria?  Is it because we want to partake in cultural tourism?  Or is it because we seek out books that reflect our liberal democratic values?  Join us as we ponder these questions and more in our series finale. Our book club discussion continues here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. Next week, we begin our Climate Fiction series Apocalypse Soon! with A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Things get heated this week as we debate if the plot is problematic, if the ending is problematic, if writing this novel in English is problematic... well you get the gist. This is the last book in our Contemporary Nigerian Fiction series.  Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Stay with Me or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week James drinks the haterade while Eyad is moved by the novel: a surprising twist for a book full of them!  We also discuss whether our American sensibilities toward drama/melodrama differ from Adebayo's and giggle about the scene wherein a penis is twisted in a fight between men.  It's a fun episode! Ayobami Adebayo's Stay With Me was a notable book of the year by The New York Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian and shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize and the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award and the Dylan Thomas Prize. This is the last book in our Contemporary Nigerian Fiction series.  Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Stay with Me or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

There will be spoilers in this episode as we nitpick the ending and the structure of Americanah, both of which we found to be problematic in parts.  We also discuss whether or not this is a patriotic novel and if Americans are the intended audience. This is the second book in our Contemporary Nigerian Fiction series.  Other books in this series in clude The Death of Vivek Oji and Stay with Me. Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Americanah or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We're more contrarian than most readers. So how did we feel about Americanah, one of the most celebrated novels of the last decade? All thumbs up! Join us as we-- per usual-- nitpick a book that we all thought was thoroughly enjoyable. This is the second book in our Contemporary Nigerian Fiction series.  Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Americanah or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Is The Death of Vivek Oji trying to change how transgender people are perceived?  Is it successful in doing so? We talk about these ideas and more in this episode. This is the first book in our Contemporary Nigerian Fiction series.  We will also review and discuss Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo in forthcoming episodes. Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Death of Vivek Oji or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We kick off our series on Contemporary Nigerian Fiction with Awkwaeke Emezi's second novel The Death of Vivek Oji.  Disguised as a murder mystery, the novel is actually a story of sexual awakening in conservative Nigeria.  We talked about our expectations for the novel and why, ultimately, it left us wanting more. This is the first episode in our Contemporary Nigerian Fiction series.  We will also review and discuss Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo in forthcoming episodes. Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Death of Vivek Oji or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we discuss the different views toward immigration in Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera, Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald and The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka.  Is it possible to create a new home in a new country?  Do these novels reveal any shift in attitude toward immigration in America?  Can James ever stop talking about Amy Tan? Join us as we wrap up our series on immigrant literature. Next week we will begin our series on Contemporary Nigerian Fiction with The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying this or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we analyze the first person plural point of view in Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic.  Does it work? How is it different from other works that used this point of view?  We also discuss whether Otsuka was too easy on the white characters in the novel and how she racism and prejudice could have been more problematized in this novel. This is the last novel in our series on immigration. We previously reviewed and discussed Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera and Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald.  Next week, we will wrap up this series with a discussion on all three of these books.  In two weeks we will begin our series on Contemporary Nigerian Fiction with The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying this or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we read Julie Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic.  The book's publisher calls it a historical novel, but is it actually a novel?  Or is it perhaps more like a museum exhibit?  While the topics of Japanese picture wives and Japanese internment are important and should be discussed, should they be presented in this way?  These questions and more in this review. This is the last book in our series The Im/possibility of a New Home.  We previously discussed Yuri Herrera's Signs Preceding the End of the World and W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz.  Next week, we'll have an in depth discussion of The Buddha in the Attic. Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Buddha in the Attic or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Home, memory, trauma, time, place.  This week we talk about these ideas and more as we dive into an in-depth discussion of Sebald's Austerlitz. This is the second novel of our series The Im/possibility of a New Home. Our review and discussion of our first book Signs Preceding the End of the World can be found in our archive.  Next week we will review The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. Our book club discussion is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for this and all our other episode.   You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Austerlitz or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we review Austerlitz, a somber, thoughtful novel that examines the trauma of being a holocaust refugee.  Yes, it's an Eyad pick. This is the second book in our series The Im/possibility of a New Home.  Last week we discussed Yuri Herrera's Signs Preceding the End of the World.  Next week, we'll have an in depth discussion of Austerlitz.  The last book in our series will be Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic. Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Austerlitz or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

How does Herrera use Aztec death mythology to structure the novel?  Why are the names (and the lack of names) significant?  Are the politics of immigration presented in this novel convincing? We discuss these questions and more in this episode of Herrera's English debut novel Signs Preceding the End of the World. This is the first novel of our series The Im/possibility of a New Home.  Our book club discussion is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode.  We will be back next week with a review of the next book in our series: Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Signs Preceding the End of the World or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we review Signs Preceding the End of the World the first Yuri Herrera novel to be translated into English.  We all enjoyed this book so it's only natural that we spend... *checks notes* ten minutes arguing about the translation?!  Yup that's us!  Join us as we kick off our new series The Im/possibility of a New Home.  Our book club discussion is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Signs Preceding the End of the World or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We end our series much like how we began it: puzzling over what Afrofuturism actually is.  Is it in opposition to a post-racial science fiction like Star Trek?  All this (and more!) as we wrap up our discussion of Whitehead's The Intuitionist, Butler's Parable of the Sower and Reed Mumbo Jumbo.   Want to join our discussion? Join our book club at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod and on Instagram @Canonicalpod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Can we blow up the canon?  To what degree is Afrofuturism Afrocentric and essentialist?  These questions and more as we discuss Mumbo Jumbo, the last novel in our Afrofuturism series.  Want to talk about Mumbo Jumbo with us? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Mumbo Jumbo or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

The search for a secret history.  A plague spreading across the US.  Mumbo Jumbo gives us a alternative view of history.  What did we make of it? And was this a good read? This is the last book in our Afrofuturism series.  Previously, we discussed Parable of the Sower and The Intuitionist which you can find in our archives.  Want to chat about Mumbo Jumbo? Join our book club discussion here https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Mumbo Jumbo or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We continue our Afrofuturism series with a discussion of Whitehead's debut novel The Intuitionist.  We decode Intuitionism, Verticality and what all this means.  As a bonus, we also spoil a Philip Roth and Brit Bennett novel. You're welcome.     Want to talk about The Intuitionist with us? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Intuitionist or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Join James, Sam and Eyad as we celebrate our 50th episode!  We look back at the books that we've read last year and talk about how this podcast came about, what we (mostly) liked and disliked, and what we learned about each other. Regularly scheduled programming will resume on Friday. You can chat with us on Reddit here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod  and on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod.  Support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube

This week we return to one of our favorite writers Colson Whitehead with his debut novel The Intuitionist. Yes, we all know that Whitehead's a writing savant and that this book is good-- but just how good is it? This is the second book in our Afrofuturism series.  Last week, we discussed Parable of the Sower which you can find in our archives.  Want to chat about The Intuitionist? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Intuitionist or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Is this an Afrofuturist novel? Is it a moral novel? And what is Afrofuturism anyway?  This week, we continue our discussion on Butler's Parable of the Sower, the first book in our Afrofuturism series. Want to talk about Parable of the Sower with us? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Parable of the Sower or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We kick off our Afrofuturism series with Butler's Parable of the Sower, a dystopian YA novel that does not hide its politics.  We debate what makes this novel important and why it should still be read today. Want to chat about Parable of the Sower? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Parable of the Sower or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we wrap up our Obsession series where we read three novels from around the world: Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, The Tunnel by Ernesto Sabato and The Lime Works by Thomas Bernhard.  What do these books say about art?  Are these novels moral in any way?  Does fiction have a duty to be moral?  Join us as we discuss these questions and more! Want to join our discussion? Join our book club at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod and on Instagram @Canonicalpod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Bernhard's The Limeworks is about the failings of language written in a style that reflects these failings.  Join us as we jump into the ideological muck of this novel and talk about how we can't really talk about anything at all. This is the last book in our Novels of Obsession from around the World series. Want to talk about The Limeworks? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Limeworks or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we review The Lime Works, a classic novel by Thomas Bernhard, one of the most revered European novelists of the post-war era.  A  difficult read, was this book bitter medicine or just plain bitter? Want to chat about The Lime Works? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Lime Works or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

What does this novel say about art?  Is this novel making an great claims about the world?  Join us this week as we have an in-depth discussion of this Argentinian existentialist classic. This is the second book in our Novels of Obsession from around the World series. Want to talk about The Tunnel? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Tunnel or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Bonus episode today as James interviews friend of the pod Michael X. Wang whose collection Further News of Defeat recently won the PEN/Bingham prize. We talk about how this collection came together, why he feels compelled to write about the powerless on the margins of Chinese society, and how the left behind in China are driven to break societal norms.  If you haven't read this excellent book yet, check it out! Mike also joined us for a review of The Three Body Problem which you can find in our archives. You can join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where we have show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Further News of Defeat or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

The Tunnel is an existentialist classic but is it still important to readers today?  Does this seemingly simple novel offer the contemporary discerning reader any complexity?  We talk about these topics and more in this review. Want to chat about The Tunnel? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Tunnel or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we continue our debate over different interpretations of Pale Fire-- and whether or not it even matters!  We also discuss Jean Walton's reading of Kinbote's "transparent closet", and briefly touch on J.K. Rowling, Kanye, and the increasing tendency of artists to add to their work after publication. This is the first book in our Novels of Obsession from around the World series. Want to talk about Pale Fire? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Pale Fire or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we kicked off our series on Obsession in Literature from around the World with Vladimir Nabokov's postmodern classic Pale Fire-- and it's one of the best books we've ever read!  Join us as we debate different readings of this book. Want to talk about Pale Fire? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Pale Fire or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we wrap up our series on Contemporary Chinese Sci-Fi where we read Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem, Hao Jingfang's Vagabonds and Chan Koonchung's The Fat Years.  We talk about how these books imagine the role of the state and whether cultural differences play a role in how we evaluate Chinese fiction.  For more on these books, you can find our previous episodes in our archives.  Next week we will start our series on Obsession with Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire. Want to join our discussion? Join our book club at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod and on Instagram @Canonicalpod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Should societies aim to be open or stable? Is it possible for a society to have total free speech?  This week we discuss the ideas of the Chinese political novel The Fat Years. This is the last novel in our Contemporary Chinese Sci-Fi series. We previously reviewed and discussed Vagabonds and The Three-Body Problem which you can find in our archives.  Want to talk about The Fat Years? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! We will kick off our next series in two weeks with Pale Fire by Nabokov. Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Fat Years or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we review The Fat Years, the book that Chinese publishers dare not publish.  Described as a science fiction political thriller, did this novel live up to its billing?   This is the last novel in our Contemporary Chinese Sci-Fi series. We previously reviewed and discussed Vagabonds and The Three-Body Problem which you can find in our archives.  Want to talk about The Fat Years? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Fat Years or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

What is the subtext of Vagabonds?  Is there any subtext?  Join us this week as we try to figure out the deeper meanings of this book. This is the second novel in our Contemporary Chinese Sci-Fi series. Want to talk about Vagabonds? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode.  If you're interested in our first book The Three Body Problem, you can find it in our archives. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Vagabonds or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we review Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang, a novel we found to be less than stellar.  Were we conned by the positive reviews or did we miss something in our reading of the book?  Listen and let us know! This is the second novel in our Contemporary Chinese Sci-Fi series. We previously reviewed and discussed The Three-Body Problem which you can find in our archives.  Want to talk about Vagabonds? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Vagabonds  or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

A long episode this week as we explore how The Three-Body Problem fits into our contemporary political, literary and philosophical landscape.  Who are the heroes and villains in this novel?  What do the Trisolarans represent?  And how much stock should we put into the controversial public comments of the author?   This is the first novel in our Contemporary Chinese Sci-Fi series. Want to talk about The Three-Body Problem? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Three-Body Problem or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Author Mike Wang joins us this week as we review Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem, the first Chinese novel to win a Hugo for best novel.  We discuss how Liu uses the cultural revolution in this work of science fiction and whether or not we thought the hype around the novel was warranted. Check out Mike's work here: https://www.michaelxwang.com/ This is the first novel in our Contemporary Chinese Sci-Fi series. Want to talk about The Three-Body Problem? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Three-Body Problem or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we wrap up our series on Transhumanist Sci-Fi by analyzing Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep, Vonnegut's Galapagos, and Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl in the context of Donna Haraway's seminal transhumanist essay A Cyborg Manifesto.  Listen to our previous episodes for our review and discussion about these books. Next week we will start our series on Contemporary Chinese Sci-Fi with Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem. Want to join our discussion? Join our book club at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod and on Instagram @Canonicalpod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we talk about this book in the context of one of the first posthumanist novels: Shelley's Frankenstein.  We also debate whether or not The Windup Girl should be considered as a post/transhumanist text, and whether we were unduly critical in categorizing this book as being light on ideas. This is the third novel in our Transhumanist Sci-Fi series. Want to talk about The Windup Girl? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Windup Girl or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we reviewed The Windup Girl, a biopunk novel set in Thailand a few centuries from now.  While there's no denying that this book was an enjoyable read, we took issue with some of the decisions made in this novel. This is the third novel in our Transhumanist Sci-Fi series. Want to talk about The Windup Girl? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Windup Girl or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Is A Fire upon the Deep actually a posthumanist text?  Would we advocate for a genocide of the Skroderiders? Is a philosophical novel more convincing when portrayed in a realist or a sci-fi novel?  Will these questions never end?  It sure doesn't seem like it in this longer than usual episode.  Enjoy! This is the second novel in our Transhumanist Sci-Fi series. Want to talk about A Fire Upon the Deep? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying A Fire Upon the Deep or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We say goodbye to 2020 with a review of A Fire Upon the Deep, a classic Sci-Fi novel that is less well known to the literary community at large.  We discuss the singularity, alien consciousness and whether or not Vinge's portrayal of the internet in 1992 foreshadowed the problems we face today. This is the second novel in our Transhumanist Sci-Fi series. Want to talk about A Fire Upon the Deep? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying A Fire Upon the Deep or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

There's so much to talk about this week as we delve into Galapagos, one of our favorite books of the year.  Some of the topics include: the inventive narrative structure, whether or not Mary's actions on the island are ethical and if humanity is, in fact, doomed... Merry Christmas! This is the first novel in our Transhumanist Sci-Fi series. Want to talk about Galapagos? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Galapagos or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we kicked off our Transhumanist Sci-Fi series with one of Kurt Vonnegut's lesser known books: Galapagos... and we loved it!  What was it about this novel that captivated us so?  The innovative narrative structure?  The humor?  Humanity's* inevitable evolution into small-brained sea lion-y beach potatoes?  The answer may surprise you.  (It's all of the above.) This is the first novel in our Transhumanist Sci-Fi series. Want to talk about Galapagos? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Galapagos or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, author and publisher Jon Sealy joins us briefly to talk about what we mean when we say Southern literature.  We also discuss why American novels tend to be less philosophical and whether or not this has been impacted by the American Creative Writing industry. Check out Jon's work here: http://www.jonsealy.com This is the conclusion of our series on Postmodern Novels of the South where we read Walker Percy's The Moviegoer, John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces and Karen Russell's Swamplandia!  Look for our previous episodes to hear our discussion about these books. Next week we will start our series on Transhumanist Sci-FI with Kurt Vonnegut's Galapagos. Want to join our discussion? Join our book club at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod and on Instagram @Canonicalpod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Author and publisher Jon Sealy joins us this week as we dive deep into a discussion of The Moviegoer.  We talk about the influence of Kierkegaard on the novel, the writer as a diagnostician of modern life, and why this book is categorized as a postmodern southern novel. Check out Jon's work here: http://www.jonsealy.com Want to talk about The Moviegoer? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. This is the last novel in our Postmodern Novels of the South series. We previously read Swamplandia! and A Confederacy of Dunces which you can find in our archives. Next week, we will wrap up the Postmodern Novels of the South series before moving on to our next series, Transhumanist Sci-Fi.  You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Moviegoer! or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we read one of the most iconic Southern writers of the Postmodern era: Walker Percy.  His debut novel The Moviegoer became an instant classic-- but does it stand the test of time?  And what do we think about philosophical novels anyway?   This is the last novel in our Postmodern Novels of the South series. We previously read and discussed A Confederacy of Dunces and Swamplandia! which you can find in our archives.  Want to talk about The Moviegoer? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Moviegoer or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Karen Russell's Swamplandia! takes a surprising turn from magic to realism.  We talk about how Russell does this and whether or not it works for us.  Also, is this novel postmodern or is it something else? This is the second novel in our Postmodern Novels of the South series. Want to talk about Swamplandia? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. Next week, we will review Walker Percy's The Moviegoer.  We hope you will join us! You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Swamplandia! or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we review Karen Russell's Swamplandia!, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012 which ultimately awarded no winner.  We debated whether or not we enjoyed the multiple storylines and point of view changes throughout this strange story.  Join us! This is the second novel in our Postmodern Novels of the South series. Want to talk about Swamplandia? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Swamplandia! or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

A Confederacy of Dunces is an enjoyable read without much thematic complexity-- is that reason enough for it to be read?  Would we be better off reading a book that takes on more important ideas?  Join us this week as we debate the merits of this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.   This is the first book of our series on Postmodern Novels of the South.  Next week we will continue our series with Swamplandia! by Karen Russel. Want to talk about A Confederacy of Dunces? Join our book club discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying A Confederacy of Dunces or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we review another book that was overlooked in its time.  A decade after its author John Kennedy Toole committed suicide, A Confederacy of Dunces was published and won the Pulitzer in 1981. However, not all of us were as impressed by this bold satire.  Is print the wrong medium for this work?  Has our toxic political climate turned us off of a character like Ignatius J. Reilly?  Or is this novel just too dated? We discuss these questions and more in this episode. This is the first novel in our Postmodern Novels of the South series. Want to talk about A Confederacy of Dunces? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying A Confederacy of Dunces or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

How do campus novels subvert traditional power structures?  Why do so many writers keep writing campus novels anyway?  And is it problematic that so few writers of colors are represented in this subgenre?  This week, these questions and more as we discuss our experience reading The Secret History, Stoner and The Human Stain.  This is the conclusion of our series on Campus Novels where we read Donna Tartt, John Williams and Philip Roth.  Look for our previous episodes to hear our discussion about these books.  Next week we will start our series on Postmodern Novels of the South with John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. Want to join our discussion? Join our book club at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod and on Instagram @Canonicalpod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we wrestle with the overbearing maximalist style of Roth's narration in The Human Stain.  Does the style augment the themes of the novel or does it detract from the work?  We also discuss Roth's claim that people will no longer read novels.   This is the last book of our series on Campus Novels where we also reviewed and discussed The Secret History and Stoner.  Look for our previous episodes to hear our discussion about these books.  Next week we will wrap up our series on Campus novels. Want to talk about The Human Stain? Join our book club discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Human Stain or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, we reviewed The Human Stain by Philip Roth, an idiosyncratic American stylist.  Though a best-seller and winner of the PEN/Faulkner when it was published, we were not as impressed.  Why not?  Listen and find out! This is the last novel in our Campus Novels series. We previously covered Stoner and The Secret History which you can find in our archives. Want to talk about The Human Stain? Disagree with our assessment of the book? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Human Stain or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Why was Stoner overlooked?  Was it because the protagonist is somehow un-American?  Was it because of the plain, minimalist style?  Or was it because the book was not a good fit with the 1960s when it was published?  We discuss these ideas and more in this week's episode. This is the second novel in our Campus Novels series. Next week we will review Philip Roth's The Human Stain.  Want to talk about Stoner? Join our book club discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Stoner or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we review Stoner, a "forgotten" novel that was rediscovered 50 years after its publication.  Now, some critics and writers are calling it the perfect novel.  Did we find it to be perfect? Listen to find out! This is the second novel in our Campus Novels series. Want to talk about Stoner? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Stoner or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

In this week's episode we debate our different readings of the The Secret History.  Is Bunny an innocent character? Is Henry some kind of Nietzschean Superman?  Should the reader feel queasy about how morality is presented in the novel? This is the first novel in our Campus Novels series. Want to talk about The Secret History? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here:Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Secret History or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on social media @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Is this a perfect novel?  One of us certainly thinks so!  This week we review Donna Tartt's debut cult classic The Secret History.   This is the first novel in our Campus Novels series. Want to talk about The Secret History? Join our book club discussion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and extended discussions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Secret History or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Can the act of reading bring about societal change?  Can novels about race still surprise us?  This week, we grapple with the complicated, messy questions that arose from reading Colson Whitehead, Tommy Orange and Brit Bennett, three of the most important writers working today. This is the conclusion of our series on Race in Contemporary America where we reviewed and discussed Sag Harbor, There There, and The Vanishing Half.  Look for our previous episodes for a more extended conversation about these books.  Next week we will start our series on Campus Novels with Donna Tartt's The Secret History. We host a book club at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where we continue our discussion off air and post show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode.  Join us and read along! You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

James, Sam and Eyad discuss Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half, its theme of passing, and how relevant this book is to contemporary conversations about race. This is the last book in our series Race in Contemporary America where we read books written by contemporary minority writers.  Don't want to hear spoilers?  Listen to our previous episode where we reviewed the book. Want to talk about The Vanishing Half? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here:Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Vanishing Half or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on social media @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

An introspective inter-generational novel with people haunted by their past and past actions.  A story that maps the scars that historic racism has left on the secret lives of today.  This week we review Brit Bennett's fantastic second novel The Vanishing Half, the book that's already made our shortlist for best book of the year. This is the last novel in our series Race in Contemporary America where we read books written by contemporary minority writers.  We previously reviewed and discussed Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead and There There by Tommy Orange. Want to talk about The Vanishing Half? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying The Vanishing Half or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

James, Sam and Eyad discuss Tommy Orange's There There, one of the most important Native American novels to be published in recent years.  We debate whether there are too many points of view in the novel, the tension between traditional and contemporary culture, and whether socially important novels are shielded from criticism This is the second book in our series Race in Contemporary America where we read books written by contemporary minority writers.  Don't want to hear spoilers?  Listen to our previous episode where we reviewed the book. Want to talk about There There? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here:Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying There There or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on social media @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

Beautiful sadness. This episode we review There There, Tommy Orange's bombshell award-winning debut.  This episode will not contain any plot spoilers.  Join us next week for an in-depth discussion on the ideas in the book. This is the second book in our series Race in Contemporary America where we read books written by contemporary minority writers.   Want to talk about There There? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple| Stitcher| Spotify| Google| Youtube You can also support us by buying There There or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We have a in-depth discussion on Sag Harbor, Colson Whitehead's meditation on summer and the in-betweenness of being a black teenager attending an elite New York prep school.  We discuss respectability politics, post-blackness, and whether Sag Harbor is a novel of manners and not a bildungsroman. This is the first book in our series Race in Contemporary America where we read books written by contemporary minority writers.  Don't want to hear spoilers?  Listen to our previous episode where we review the book. Want to talk about Sag Harbor? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here:Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Sag Harbor or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on social media @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week we review Colson Whitehead's Sag Harbor, an earlier novel that's been overshadowed by his two more recent critically acclaimed works The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad.  We debate the merits of Sag Harbor, learn about the historical background of real-life Sag Harbor, NY and discuss who we would recommend this novel to. This is the first book in our series Race in Contemporary America where we read books written by contemporary minority writers.   Want to talk about Sag Harbor? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple| Stitcher| Spotify| Google| Youtube You can also support us by buying Sag Harbor or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

For the conclusion of our Pandemic Literature Series, we revisit Katherine Anne Porter's Pale Horse Pale Rider, Jose Saramago's Blindness and Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven. We debate what makes a novel feel real to us, if these novels critique the status quo, and whether we are fetishizing death more in contemporary society. Want to talk about pandemic literature? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. Want to join our discussion? Join our book club at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying a book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

In this episode, we review Emily St. John Mandel's award-winning bestseller Station Eleven, the third book in our Pandemic Literature series. We debate what genre this novel is, whether this dystopian novel is too "safe" and what makes a work of fiction artistic. Want to talk about Station Eleven? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Station Eleven or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

We continue our Pandemic Literature series with a review of Blindness, a dystopian novel by Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramago. We explore what it means to be blind in the novel, what ideas the characters represent, and how the novel critiques contemporary society. Want to talk about Blindness? Join our discussion at https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod where you can also find show notes, credits and discussion questions for every episode. You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Blindness or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on Twitter and Facebook @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, we review Katherine Anne Porter's Pale Horse, Pale Rider, a short novel set during the 1918 Flu pandemic. We discuss the novel's surprising anti World War 1 stance, private trauma during a public catastrophe, and what makes Porter a masterclass writer. Come join our discussion!  You can find us here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod https://www.facebook.com/CanonicalPod https://twitter.com/CanonicalPod https://canonicalpod.podbean.com   Intro/Outro music “2019 07 25 cello pizz 01” by Morusque  http://ccmixter.org/files/Nurykabe/60084 Interlude music “Bass Solo (For Charlie Haden)” by Fletchorama https://soundcloud.com/fletchorama/1052015-bass-solo-for-charlie-haden “Improvisation in an Empty Loft - for Bass Clarinet solo” by Steven Henry  https://soundcloud.com/stevenhenrymusic/improvisation-in-an-empty-loft-for-bass-clarinet-solo All music used under Creative Commons Licensing

This week we finish our Postmodern Japanese Fiction series by taking another look at Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman, and Yoko Tawada's The Emissary. We discuss what we look for in a good book, evaluating a work's aesthetic achievements vs its societal impact, cultural representation, and exoticism in a globalized world. If you liked this podcast and think other people will too, please support us by subscribing and leaving a rating and review.   Intro/Outro music “2019 07 25 cello pizz 01” by Morusque http://ccmixter.org/files/Nurykabe/60084 Interlude music “Bass Solo (For Charlie Haden)” by Fletchorama https://soundcloud.com/fletchorama/1052015-bass-solo-for-charlie-haden “Improvisation in an Empty Loft - for Bass Clarinet solo” by Steven Henry https://soundcloud.com/stevenhenrymusic/improvisation-in-an-empty-loft-for-bass-clarinet-solo All music used under Creative Commons Licensing

This episode, we review Yoko Tawada's speculative fiction dystopia The Emissary, winner of the National Book Award. We discuss the novel's unconventional structure, the remembered past vs fact, and the upending of the natural order in post-cataclysmic Japan. Intro/Outro music “2019 07 25 cello pizz 01” by Morusque  http://ccmixter.org/files/Nurykabe/60084 Interlude music “Bass Solo (For Charlie Haden)” by Fletchorama https://soundcloud.com/fletchorama/1052015-bass-solo-for-charlie-haden “Improvisation in an Empty Loft - for Bass Clarinet solo” by Steven Henry  https://soundcloud.com/stevenhenrymusic/improvisation-in-an-empty-loft-for-bass-clarinet-solo  All music used under Creative Commons Licensing

This week, Sam, James and Eyad decode Kafka on the Shore and discuss it as a story of trauma.  Join us on Reddit where we tackle this and other questions from the novel: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod/comments/haea0g/contemporary_japanese_fiction/   References Possibly an English Translation of  the Shinchosha Kafka on the Shore Q&A http://www.harukimurakami.com/q_and_a/questions-for-haruki-murakami-about-kafka-on-the-shore “What’s Up With Bad Sex In Murakami?” https://metropolisjapan.com/sex-haruki-murakami/ Men Writing Women Subreddit  http://www.reddit.com/r/menwritingwomen/    This is the second novel in our Postmodern Japanese Fiction series. Want to read along and join our discussion?  Join our book club on Reddit here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here:Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Kafka on the Shore or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on social media @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

This week, Sam, James and Eyad discuss the first half of Kafka on the Shore and Haruki Murakami, a writer who we all loved at some point in our lives.  Join us on Reddit where we tackle some of the novel's biggest questions: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod/comments/haea0g/contemporary_japanese_fiction/   References 2004 Paris Review Interview https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/2/the-art-of-fiction-no-182-haruki-murakami 1996 New Yorker Interview https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/12/23/becoming-japanese Reading of Murakami’s “On Seeing The 100% Perfect Girl One April Morning” https://www.thisamericanlife.org/152/crush/act-three   This is the second novel in our Postmodern Japanese Fiction series. Want to read along and join our discussion?  Join our book club on Reddit here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanonicalPod You can support us by rating/liking/sharing our podcast! Subscribe to us here:Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Google | Youtube You can also support us by buying Kafka on the Shore or another book from one of our curated lists:  https://bookshop.org/shop/CanonicalPod. We earn a commission on every purchase and your local indie bookstore gets a cut too! We are also on social media @CanonicalPod. Follow us to get updates on upcoming episodes!

In our inaugural episode, we review and discuss Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata's best-selling and award-winning novel. We delve into societal alienation, whether the protagonist is a sociopath, and Japanese convenience stores. If you like this podcast and you think other people will like it too, please subscribe and leave a rating and review.   Intro/Outro music “2019 07 25 cello pizz 01” by Morusque http://ccmixter.org/files/Nurykabe/60084 Interlude music “Bass Solo (For Charlie Haden)” by Fletchorama  https://soundcloud.com/fletchorama/1052015-bass-solo-for-charlie-haden All music used under Creative Commons Licensing