Episodes
In Episode 134, it's the re-return of podcast fave Jedidiah Jenkins. We're talking about Jenkins' latest book Mother, Nature, about a road trip he takes with his mother and their relationship.Show NotesThis is Jenkins' third book and our third episode about one his books (yes, we've done all of them). I think that officially makes him our most revisited author!Are we going to have to do a cult book soon? Jedidiah and his mom listen to some really interesting sounding podcasts on their trip,...
Published 11/22/23
In Episode 133 Gen and Jette revisit one of their favourite authors, Hilarie Burton Morgan, and kick off Non Fiction November with Grimoire Girl. Burton's latest book combines personal stories with her tips and simple spells for creating your own personal grimoire. Show NotesWe have allll the ideas and creative inspiration now. Like so many projects are brewing.Some questions we got to consider while discussing this book include: What body of water do you most relate to? Which...
Published 11/08/23
In Episode 132, Gen and Jette tackle a horror novel with The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. It had a moment that shocked both of us and definitely gave us lots to talk about.Show NotesWe're officially in our fifth season of the podcast! Gen has a theory that the horror genre is like country music. Listen to the end of the episode to find out why.The movie adaptation with M. Night Shyamalan is called Knock at the Cabin and has a few changes to the books that we talk...
Published 10/25/23
Episode 131 is an anniversary hangout. We're celebrating 5 years of Another Book on the Shelf. 5 years of great books, great discussions, and amazing listeners! We can't wait to bring you another 5 more!
Show Notes
We're actually going places out in the world now and it's very exciting.
Check out Gen's cookie website Honeybee Cookie Co. and get your Christmas orders in!
Our next episode we're sticking with the creepy October theme and reading The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul...
Published 10/11/23
In our latest instalment of Page to Screen, Gen and Jette talk about The Silence of the Lambs. We had a great time talking about the classic film and the novel by Thomas Harris to kick off spooky season. It's easy to see why Hannibal Lecter has captivated people! We're not saying we like him necessarily, but he's definitely fun to read about (and watch!)Show NotesThe Silence of the Lambs film is one of only three to have won all five major awards at the Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director,...
Published 09/27/23
In Episode 129, Gen and Jette dive into "the most controversial Canadian novel" ever written. A woman goes to work in Northern Ontario and begins a relationship with a bear. Spoiler in 2023, it wasn't that wild. Or was it?
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Published 09/13/23
In Episode 128, Gen and Jette team up with one of their favourite local publishers, House of Anansi Press, to read The All + Flesh by Brandi Bird. It's the second book of poetry for the pod and we absolutely loved it.Show NotesHouse of Anansi's namesake comes from the spider god of West-African tradition, Kwaku Anansi, who created the world.House of Anansi is located in Toronto. Be sure to check out their sister imprint, Groundwood Books, for children's and young adult lit. If you're looking...
Published 08/30/23
It's time for another hang out episode! In this episode, Gen and Jette talk about what they've been up to and what they've been reading (actually so much!). We may be ready for fall already, but we're making the most of summer while it's still here.Show NotesCheck out our latest blog post, Top 7 Most Anticipated Books for Fall 2023The new show on Netflix about the Sacklers and the opioid crisis is called Painkiller.Our next episode we team up with House of Anansi Press to read a new poetry...
Published 08/16/23
In Episode 126, Gen and Jette team up with indie publisher Stelliform Press. They generously sent us a copy of their recent release Sordidez by E.G. Condé, which follows different members of communities trying to survive in a world ravaged by war and climate catastrophe.
Show NotesWe first heard about Stelliform Press at last year's Word on the Street festival. They publish stories that centre climate change and environmental justice. The book about Guatemala that Gen couldn't remember the...
Published 08/02/23
It's time for another round of #BookstagramMadeMeDoIt! Actually, it was mostly BookTok this time. We're finally diving into one of Colleen Hoover's books. Verity has been all over Instagram and TikTok, and when friend of the pod Kattie read it, we knew it was time. We had a lot to say about this one. Let us know where you fall on the CoHo books – love or hate? We want to know.
Show Notes
Are we going to read another CoHo book for the pod? Maybe.
In our next episode we're teaming up...
Published 07/19/23
In Episode 124, Gen and Jette talk about The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder. This was Jette's pick for our book club and we loved the dystopian vibes and talking all about memories.
Show NotesYōko Ogawa has won every Japanese literary award, including the Akutagawa Prize and Yomiuri Prize.Playing It Cool is a 2014 film starring Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, Michelle Monaghan, Anthony Mackie, Topher Grace, and Luke Wilson. With such a stacked cast, you'd think Gen...
Published 07/05/23
Gen and Jette up their CanCon for Pride this year with Junior High — a middle grade semi-autobiographical graphic novel from Canadian musical duo Tegan and Sara, with the illustrations of Tillie Walden.
Show Notes
Tegan and Sara's memoir High School was released in September 2019 and has since been turned into a TV series on Amazon Freevee. We've never heard of this show or Amazon Freevee, but we're definitely going to look it up.
There is going to be a sequel to Junior High! It's...
Published 06/21/23
In Episode 122, Gen and Jette keep up their CanCon with a discussion of Canadian authors. Show NotesIf you're unfamiliar with CanCon, it's the stipulation that all Canadian media contain a certain percentage of content produced, written, etc. by Canadians. It turns out we have a lot of episodes about books by Canadian authors (though not 35% as dictated by CanCon...we're working on it LOL). Find them all listed below.Listen to the CBC Massey Lectures for free on the CBC Radio website Alicia...
Published 06/07/23
In episode 121 Gen & Jette sit down for Another Cup of Tea and a spring hangout. We're talking all about what we've been reading lately and what we have planned for the coming months. Show NotesIf you're in Toronto on May 27 & 28, be sure to stop by the Word On the Street festival.Find out more about Gen's upcoming summer retreats. Our next episode (for real this time) is all about Canadian authors.Read along with our current book club pick, The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, which...
Published 05/24/23
In Episode 120, Gen and Jette dive into the latest book club pick and talk all things writing with The Writing Life by Annie Dillard. This one has been on Gen's list for a while and the consensus it that it should be required reading for any writer or artist.
Show Notes
You can sign up for Gen's writing and yoga retreat here: Fort Erie July 17-20 & The June Motel in PEC September 8-10
Our next episode is all about Canadian authors because we gotta get that CanCon. But sincerely...
Published 05/10/23
The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.
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[email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! Sign up for our newsletter and add us to Pinterest!
Published 04/26/23
In Episode 118, Gen and Jette continue their series #BookstagramMadeMeDoIt with Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It takes place in a Tokyo cafe that allows people to time travel...though there are a few rules. We're always suckers for a time travel story and immediately fell in love with this one.Show NotesBefore the Coffee Gets Cold actually began as a stage ply and was adapted into a novel in 2015. There is also a film adaptation that came out in 2018, and in 2021 it was...
Published 04/12/23
In Episode 117, Gen and Jette discuss a new release from Coach House Books — Sing, Nightingale by Marie Hélène Poitras, translated by Rhonda Mullins. We always love the unique books from Coach House, and this one is no exception. Show NotesObviously we talked about Paper Houses by Dominique Fortier (also translated by Rhonda Mullins).The books we read from Coach House never fail to make us looks at writing in a fresh way and spark our creativity. Shout out to Rhonda Mullins for her amazing...
Published 03/29/23
In episode 116, Gen and Jette sit down with a cup of tea for a casual chat about what they've been up to and what they have planned for the spring, and of course what they've been reading.
Show Notes
Gen is co-hosting two yoga and writing retreats in the summer — one in Fort Erie and one in Prince Edward County — find out more about them at Wild Wandering Creations.
Next time you're in Boston, make sure to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum — or at least read up about one of the...
Published 03/15/23
In Episode 115, Gen and Jette talk about Jette's most recent book club pick — Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion. How have we gone 115 episodes before doing a Didion episode? I know, right. While Jette can't remember where the idea for this book as her pick even came from, she's glad she picked it. This collection of essays from the 1960s, mostly focusing on California, makes it clear why Didion is a classic.
Show Notes
If you're ever in LA, you must visit the Howard Hughes...
Published 03/01/23
In Episode 114, Gen and Jette read the latest novel from Elissa R. Sloan, Hayley Aldridge is Still Here. The novel follows the life of former child star Hayley Aldridge as she tells her story and works to get out from under a conservatorship that she's been in for a decade. Sound familiar? Sloan draws on the real life stars of the '90s and early '00s and slots Hayley's story seamlessly into that history.
If you loved the Sloan's last book, The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes (which we talked...
Published 02/15/23
In Episode 113, Gen and Jette return to one of their all time favourite authors, James Baldwin. We're finally talking about Giovanni's Room, probably Baldwin's most well known novel. Get ready to be devastated and blown away by Baldwin's writing all over again. (No, we'll never get over it. Yes, we will continue to ramble our glowing praise.)
Show Notes:
Did anyone out there read any James Baldwin at the university level or do many of us have this appalling gap in our literary education?
As...
Published 02/01/23
In Episode 112, it's time for another instalment of our unofficial graphic novel book club — this time with Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. We cover volumes 1 & 2 (with little sneak peeks at volumes 3–5) of this supernatural noir thriller from one of the most celebrated duos in graphic novels today.
Show Notes
Ed Brubaker has won a whopping 7 Eisner Awards for his work, which includes Batman, Catwoman, Winter Soldier, Criminal, Incognito, and Reckless among many others.
Sean...
Published 01/21/23
In Episode 111, Gen and Jette talk about their most recent book club book, The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. It's a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's short story, "The Horror at Red Hook" that subverts the xenophobic message of the original tale.
Show Notes:
We fell down a Lovecraft rabbit hole that made us realize how little we know about him (and how many references we probably missed in the novel!)
As with so many books we read, we now want to get our hands on everything else Victor...
Published 01/04/23
It's our last episode of 2022, so we're taking a look back at our reading and writing goals for the year, as well as looking ahead to 2023.
Show Notes:
We may have dropped the ball on 52 Weeks of Short Stories, but that doesn't mean we won't try something new in 2023. The Artist's Way, anyone?
Jette is so close to being done her graphic novel script!
Gen finally finished the first draft of her YA novel!
We can't wait for all the events next year, like Word on the Street, TCAF, and Toronto...
Published 12/21/22