Ep 644 - Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

This graphic memoir (ahem) This collection of comics chronicles the life of an Iranian girl named Marji, whose experiences are heavily based on those of author Marjane Satrapi. Satrapi lived through the Islamic Revolution in Iran and its authoritarian aftermath, and her story is one of resistance, education, and the difficulty of finding yourself amidst societal upheaval. Note: our discussion is based on reading the Complete Persepolis, which combines Volume 1: The Story of a Childhood with Volume 2: The Story of a Return.

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Ep 643 - Holes, by Louis Sachar

Holes! We all need 'em, we all love 'em. This is a book where a boy is sentenced to dig a bunch of holes out in the desert because he was accused and convicted of a crime he didn't commit. That's bad! But he also discovers a little something about himself and his family, and makes a new friend. That's good!

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Ep 642 - Last Night at the Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo

Lo's award-winning novel seeks to shine a light on marginalized experiences from mid-century San Francisco. What's most impressive is how she's synthesized all of her research into a couple of fresh, compelling characters - allowing the story to honor the historical record without feeling overly bound by it.

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Ep 641 - War and Peace?? By Leo Tolstoy????

Every week, one of our hosts reads a book and tells the other person (and you, the audience) about it. This week's book is about the topic of war and also the topic of peace. It has characters and themes. Find out more about all of this and more on this week's Overdue!

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Stop! Homer Time: The Iliad - Episodes 3 & 4 (Books 5-9)

For our latest show-within-a-show, we'll revisit Ancient Greece through Emily Wilson's new translation of Homer's The Iliad. We'll be reading it a few books at a time and having a more in-depth chat about it than we do about most books. These two episodes cover Books 5-9.

Episode 3: These three books include: gods intervening directly on the battlefield, a new Greek hero emerging, the Trojan hero getting a boost from Ares, Hector's wife and son, and a duel with no resolution. It's action packed but also somewhat restful?  (Books 5-7)

Episode 4: A lot of folks in these two books remembering that Achilles exists. Zeus presides over more fighting, and it's going poorly for the Greeks. So poorly that Agamemnon tries to make good with Achilles but man that guy knows how to be mad, huh?? (Books 8-9)

Find out more about how to get these episodes monthly at patreon.com/overduepod.

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Ep 640 - Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

The first rule of podcasting is DON'T TALK ABOUT PODCASTING. The second rule of podcasting is please tell everyone about podcasting and specifically about this episode in which we cover Chuck P's notorious novel about masculinity, terrorism, and getting punched in the face.

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Ep 639 - There There, by Tommy Orange

There There sets itself apart by being a book by and about indigenous Americans in an explicitly contemporary, urban setting. It's also got a neat perspective-shifting structure and interconnected characters.

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Ep 638 - The Mystery at Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew #4), by Carolyn Keene (Bonus Episode)

This bonus episode was recorded on LEAP DAY! So we leapt into The Mystery at Lilac Inn with our good friend young sleuth Nancy Drew! Let's play some Hot or Not, I guess?? Also we're talking Odies 2023!

To join us for future bonus recordings, head to patreon.com/overduepod.

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Ep 637 - The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White

The third and final of White's whimsical children's books about animals, The Trumpet of the Swan asks important questions like: How do swans learn English? How can we better provide accommodations for those who need them? And how much money could a swan earn at a jazz club in the 1960s?

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Ep 636 - The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis

Modern readers often experience C.S. Lewis as "the Narnia guy," but he's also one of the 20th century's foremost Christian apologetics. The Screwtape Letters, written from the point of view of a demon whose object is to send souls to Hell, is a deeply Christian work but its appeal comes just as much from Lewis' insight into what makes humanity tick.

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