I, Becca, have been going through a big life transition, and that is why this episode is so incredibly late. I will be okay though! It also kind of fits because Olga Tokarczuk's House of Day, House of Night, is all about transition and liminal spaces.

Content warning: we mention breasts and vaginas (more like vaginal art).

Minnesota mutual aid

Immigration law funds

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Due to this being a weird year (Corinne had a baby!) instead of our usual wrap-up of the year's books, we decided to take a look at our historical Year in Reviews and talk about the books we remember, and the ones we don't. 

We swear a bit and mention some adult topics briefly, so use caution when listening.

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The March prompt is to read a book published by an indie press, and Corinne's pick is Witches by Brenda Lozano, translated by Heather Cleary, and published by Catapult.

Content warning: brief mentions of violence, including sexual violence

Our next book discussion will be Nonfiction by Julie Myerson. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2024, you can join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2025.

Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD.

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For December's theme, A Book Published Before 1950, Becca picked My Great, Wide, Beautiful World by Juanita Harrison, first released in 1936. It's the travel journal of a young Black woman who journeyed to 22 different countries. 

Next week we will be discussing A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 

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We've got a chatty one for you this week. Becca received a tweet that prompted her to lightly investigate the origins of the Science Fiction Genre. We talk about where it started, where it's gone, is it different from Fantasy, and is the sky a place or just the top.

Next week we will be discussing My Great, Wide, Beautiful World by Juanita Harrison. You might be able to get a copy from a local library, otherwise you should be able to find PDFs online to read if you'd like to read along with us!

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Our final book for Non-Fiction November is The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. Our theme for December is Books Published Before 1950.

Our next read will be My Great, Wide, Beautiful World by Juanita Harrison, first published in 1936.

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Our first read for Non-Fiction November is a memoir called Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. The story of her childhood and teen years, the memoir does cover some sensitive topics related to child abuse and sexual assault. Please listen and read with caution.

Our next read will be The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavencencio.

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Today we dive into the subject of pseudonyms. Corinne has a recent news item and Becca plays a game.

Next time we will be in Non-Fiction November reading Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

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We return to the well of socially anxious nightmares this week when we read The Lottery and Other Stories by the queen of such fiction, Shirley Jackson for our final episode of Genre: Spooky October.

Next time we will be in Non-Fiction November reading Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

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Becca is gone which means she can't stop me from releasing this former Patreon exclusive episode where we cast a Little Women movie starring The Muppets.

Next week we will be discussing The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson.

Becca's pick for the October theme of Genre: Horror, Thriller, Suspense, is The Hunger by Alma Katsu. The novel is a reimagining of the tragedy of the Donner Party as they journeyed to California. This episode asks the question, Can you know ever know too much about the Donner Party?

Next time we will be reading The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us.

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This episode is rated R: Restricted, Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian. Or alternately, YA-4? We discuss a recent YA Twitter incident.

Next time we will be reading The Hunger by Alma Katsu. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us.

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Detransition, Baby is a debut novel by Torrey Peters that also happens to be absolutely perfect for discussion and buddy reading. We really loved this unconventional story of three women on a journey to become (or not become) mothers. We will be anxiously waiting for it to be optioned as a limited series on a premium cable network.

Next time we will be reading The Hunger by Alma Katsu. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. 

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Becca's pick for March's prompt to read a book published by an indie press is Earthlings by Sayaka Murati, translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori, and published by Grove Atlantic.

Content warnings: sexual assault, death, murder, violence, cannibalism

Our next book discussion will be Witches by Brenda Lozano. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2024, you can join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2025.

Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD.

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On this episode we preach to the choir and discuss why book banning is a bad thing.

Next time we will be discussing Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us.

Sources for this episode:

Penn Live - Ban on books by or about minorities sparks protests, national news in York County

York Daily Record - Book ban by Central York school board of racial justice materials spurs student protests

Fresh Air - Uncovering Who Is Driving The Fight Against Critical Race Theory In Schools

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For our first read for the September Bookstore Challenge we read Sigrid Nunez's debut auto-fiction novel, A Feather on the Breath of God. It reflects on the author/narrator's parents, both immigrants, her upbringing in New York, and a later love affair with a Russian immigrant in her 20's.

Next time we will be discussing Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. You can find it at your local library or bookstore and read along with us.

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For our final Women in Translation Month installment we read Thora Hjorliefsdottir's Magma. It is a challenging read about a young woman in an abusive relationship. We relate, we don't want to relate. We commiserate.

Next time we will be discussing A Feather on the Breath of God by Sirgrid Nunez.

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Way back in 2017, the first year of The Bookstore Podcast's existence, we read Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins. When the documentary about her life popped up on Becca's Netflix Recommended, we figured we'd watch and discuss. We have a lot of laughs talking about Collins' fascinating life and work. 

Barbara Cartland song

Next time we will be discussing Magma by Thora Hjorliefsdottir. It can be found at your local bookstore or through Hoopla if your local library uses that service.

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It's Women in Translation Month and our first pick for this prompt is the recently released somewhat autobiographical/historical novel about the Pinochet regime in Chile, The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez. Long time listeners will be pleased to note that Corinne has transcended using the word "basically" as a filler to using exclusively "essentially."

Next time we will be discussing Magma by Thora Hjorliefsdottir. It can be found at your local bookstore or through Hoopla if you're local library uses that service.

Other books/authors mentioned:
Human Matter: A Fiction by Rodrigo Rey Rosa
The Work of Eduardo Gleano
We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel

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For Women in Translation Month, which is our prompt for August and also celebration in the wider book world, we talk a little bit about previous episodes where we recommend works in translation, as well as some literary translation prizes. Our main topic is a translation game Corinne made, so fair warning, there is lots of laughing in this episode because we have lots of fun.

Next time we will be discussing The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez.

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We read and discuss 2020 Booker International Winner The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, translated from the Dutch by Michele Hutchison. Content warning: language, discussion of difficult topics.

Next time we will be discussing The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez.

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We loved Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead so much that Corinne decided to read Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk. Our July Challenge Prompt was to read another book by an author you have loved before.

Next time we will be discussing The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld for our first August read: a book written by a woman that has been translated. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

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We talk generally about our July prompt, read a backlist title by an author you've loved before.

Next time we will be talking about Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

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This week we read and discuss Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo. It's Becca's pick for our July prompt: to read a book by an author you have loved before.

Next time we will be talking about Primeval and Other Times by Olga Tokarczuk. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

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February's prompt is to read a book with a non-human narrator or from a non-human perspective. Corinne's pick, that we'll be discussing today, is Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck, which is about a house/plot of land.

Content warning: swearing, Nazism, repressive regimes, book has sexual and physical violence

March prompt is to read a book published by an indie press, our first book is Becca's pick, Earthlings by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori, and published by Grove Atlantic. Corinne's pick is Witches by Brenda Lozano, translated by Heather Cleary and published by Catapult.

If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2025, you can join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2025.

Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD.

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We talk about book settings.

Next month the prompt is to read a book by an author you have loved before and Becca's choice is Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

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This week for our Beach Read June prompt we read Beach Read by Emily Henry. Which is fitting! Coincidentally the book take place in a fictional Lake Michigan town that happens to exist exactly on top of the town that Corinne's partner is from - so we've got thoughts about how it represents Michigan aside from general banter about romance tropes and feel good reading.

Next month the prompt is to read a book by an author you have loved before and Becca's choice is Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. 

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Content warning for sexual assault on this episode. We read Diadem From the Stars by Jo Clayton as Becca's pick for June's prompt, Genre: Romance, Fantasy, or Beach Read. It's a pulpy 70s space fantasy that left us confused and maybe even a little irate.

Next time we will be discussing Beach Read by Emily Henry. You might have to find this one used, or from your local library.

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We discuss a publishing scandal that at this point feels very cliché.

Next time we will be discussing Diadem from the Stars by Jo Clayton. You might have to find this one used, or from your local library.

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This week we read Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe. It's a book full of politics and yet we choose to focus (at least a little) on the sex writing.

Next time we will be discussing Diadem from the Stars by Jo Clayton. You might have to find this one used, or from your local library.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here.

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Our May prompt was to read a book published the year you were born, so we chat about big book news that happened in our respective birth years, as well as some pop culture tidbits. Let us know what exciting things happened the year you were born!

Next time we will be discussing Becca's May prompt pick, Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here.

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Content warnings abound because we read Katherine Dunn's 1989 novel about an abusive carnival family turned cult carnival turned ??? Geek Love.

Next time we will be discussing Becca's May prompt pick (read a book published the year you were born) Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here.

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We read National Book Award winner Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. Do we understand how screenplays work? Not really! But we do think this is a very interesting concept.

Next week we will be discussing Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

We revisit our dear old friend, Norman Mailer. But before that, we find out the truth about the storied literary feud between Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner.

Next time we will be reading Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here.

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Discussion and review of The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar for the April challenge prompt: a book that won or was shortlisted for a literary award in 2020.

Next time we will be reading Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout. See the Independent Bookstore Day details here.

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Romantic Goat sex on today's episode. We read The Story of a Goat by Perumal Murugan.

Next time we will read Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck

Content Warnings: Violence, sexual violence

If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2024, you can join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2025.

Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD.

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We're starting April off with a Between the Books episode featuring recommendations based on our April Prompt, read a book that won an award in 2020. We talk about all the books we've read in previous episodes that won or were on shortlists, and we add a few more of our personal recommendations.

Next time we will be reading The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar for the April prompt, a book that won or was shortlisted for an award in 2020. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.

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This week we read the our final book for the March prompt (read a book you already own). Because it is a 3 book episode month, we turned to Patreon to pick between our respective choices. Becca's pick won and so we read A Question of Power by Bessie Head. The book itself is a little hard to get a hold of, though it seems plenty of fairly priced used options exist. Either way, we hope you'll join us for our discussion of this auto-fiction novel about a South African ex-pat living in Botswana in the 1970s while struggling with mental illness.

Next time we will be reading The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar for the April prompt, a book that won or was shortlisted for an award in 2020. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.

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Our March prompt for our 21 Month Challenge is to read a book you already own. We're here to talk about how great libraries are, why we buy books, why we don't always buy books, how we store books, you know, that kind of thing. 

Our next book discussion will be A Question of Power by Bessie Head, you may have to search some less common avenues to find that one.

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First - apologies for Corinne's sub par audio this week, but there were some issues on her end. It'll be back to normal next week.

In this episode we discuss The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi and question our Western viewpoints on gender.

Our next book discussion will be A Question of Power by Bessie Head, you may have to search some less common avenues to find that one.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.

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Inspired by this Reddit thread, we talk about the different things that are distracting or take us out of the book. Not necessarily pet peeves, but also maybe a little bit. This brings us to the conclusion that writing is hard!

Next time we will be discussing The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi.

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Review and discussion of The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor for our first pick for the March book prompt: Read a book you already own.

Next time we will be discussing The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi.

____

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To close out the February prompt for our Bookstore Podcast 12 Month Challenge, we each have some recommendations for indie publishers and books published by those indie publishers. We will list all the books mentioned on our website.

Next time we will be reading our first March Prompt book (something we already own): The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.

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Our second book published by an independent publisher for the February prompt is Frontier by Can Xue. We don't actually know how to explain it or talk about it, but we try!

Next time we will be reading our first March Prompt book (something we already own): The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.

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Our February reading prompt is to read books published by an Independent Publisher. Because we've received so many questions from people interested in how to find more independent presses, we have decided to rerelease an episode we did a couple of years back introducing you the wonderful world of Indies.

Next week we will be reading and discussing Frontier by Can Xue, published by Open Letter at the University of Rochester. You can find it at your library or local bookstore and read along with us.

Original Description:

After a bit of a mis-speak, we realized that we've read more books published by independent publishers and presses than we thought. So we're here to highlight the great work by publishers you suggested and publishers that we think are putting out great work. There's so many to talk about that we couldn't fit it all in!

A list of titles and publishers discussed in this episode can be found on the episode post on our website.

Our first pick for February's prompt is Temporary by Hilary Leichter, published by Coffee House Press. It gets us talking about the mundanity of office life and the strangeness of life under capitalism.  

Next week we are reading Frontier by Can Xue. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us!

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.

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Last episode for January is Pastoralia by George Saunders, this is a book of short stories that all have the trademark Saunders satirical edge.

Content warning: swearing, brief mentions of death and a sick child

Our next book discussion will be The Story of a Goat by Perumal Murugan. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

If you want to read along with The Bookstore Challenge 2024, you can join us on The StoryGraph to see what others are reading for each month and get ideas for your TBR: The Bookstore Challenge 2025.

Get two audiobook credits for the price of one at Libro.fm when you sign up using the code BOOKSTOREPOD.

Website | Patreon

Alternate title: TRUST NO ONE!

A list of sources for this episode can be found here.

Next week we will be discussing Temporary by Hilary Leichter.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.

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Our January prompt for The Bookstore's 12 Month Challenge is "a book you think you really should have read by now." Becca's pick for that prompt is I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. 

February is indie publisher month, if you have a favorite indie pub book, we'd love to hear about it! Our first book for February is Temporary by Hilary Leichter. Find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us!

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.

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This week we have a bit of news, Corinne explores a new GoodReads (and Amazon) book tracking contender called The StoryGraph, and we consider some interpretations for the January challenge prompt: a book you feel you should have read by now.

Becca is beckyramone and Corinne is corinnekeener on The StoryGraph. Add us and we will follow back!

Next week we will be discussing I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. You can find it at your local bookstore or library and read along with us.

Get two months for the price of one at Libro.fm with code 'bookstore' at checkout.

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