Genie Babies - Episodes 1 & 2

Welcome to Genie Babies, a magic carpet ride of a podcast from the boys here at Overdue! On our newest show-within-a-show, we're reading Husain Haddawy's translation of Muhsin Mahdi's manuscript of The Thousand and One Nights (also known by its westernized title, The Arabian Nights). 

Some Patreon supporters get these episodes monthly, but every two months we'll combine them for general consumption. In the first half, you'll hear us discuss the some of the background scholarship as well as the stories that setup the collection. In the second, we'll dive deeper into some nested tales where demons truly thrive. In both halves, we'll grapple with the heaping helpings of misogyny that accompany these wild tales!

Stories covered in Nights 1-27 include: The Story of King Shahrayar and Shahrazad, His Visier's Daughter; The Story of the Merchant and the Demon; and The Story of the Fisherman and the Demon, which includes tales about King Yunan, a talking parrot, a She-Ghoul, and a stony prince.

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

Ep 427 - Deacon King Kong, by James McBride

Everything happens for a reason in James McBride's new novel. It's September of 1969 and a doddering Brooklyn deacon just shot the neighborhood's top drug dealer. The events set in motion touch every member of the community - from its 102-year-old founder to the fire ants in the boiler room - and help them build a future as the world changes around them.

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Ep 426 - The Hour of the Star, by Clarice Lispector

Can our podcast truly capture the depth of a renowned Brazilian novelist's final work? This question mirrors one asked by the narrator of The Hour of the Star, whose attempts to portray a young woman's pitiable existence are hindered by his fears that he will never do her story justice.

Also, Craig talks into a sock.

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Ep 425 - Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3), by Suzanne Collins

The Games may have ended, but we're still hungry! We travel back to Panem for the close of Collins' trilogy about Katniss, Peeta, and revolution. It's time to talk (a)political messages, rickety love triangles, the limits of a hero's POV.

If you aren't caught up on our Hunger Games journey, go give Episode 400 or Episode 410 a listen!

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Ep 424 - My Sister, the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Sometimes a book is about exactly what it says on the cover. Oyinkan Braithwaite's debut novel is plenty dark but surprisingly funny, exploring sibling dynamics heightened by the fact that there is serial killing involved.

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Ep 423 - The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, by Steve Brusatte (Bonus Episode)

Craig loves dinosaurs, so Andrew let him talk for an hour about Steve Brusatte's recent book for dino devotees. Time to talk T-Rexes, Sauropods, and graphic depictions of the end of the world with our live Patreon chat.

Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

Special thanks to the Patreon supporters who joined us in the live chat. For more info on how to participate in bonus episode recordings, head to patreon.com/overduepod.

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Ep 422 - An Unseen Attraction, by KJ Charles (w/ Margaret H. Willison)

Special guest Margaret H. Willison joins us this week to talk about the consensual, gay, historically accurate romance novels of KJ Charles.

Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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Ep 421 - The Vegetarian, by Han Kang

How could a dream upend your life? Would you stop eating meat? Embark on a ruinous affair? Desert your family?

Han Kang's The Vegetarian asks visceral questions about our capacity for violence and what'd be willing to give up to be rid of it.

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Ep 420 - Candide, by Voltaire

Candide is a novella-length takedown of the idea that we are living in the best of all possible worlds, as ordained by God. These days it's hard to believe we need a whole book about this but it's pretty funny anyway?

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Ep 419 - Inferno, by Dan Brown (HELLBOYS Bonus Episode)

Noted symbologist Robert Langdon has to "solve" a "mystery" that "references" Dante's Inferno! Let's see if he can crack the clues before the whole world succumbs to a transhumanist disease (yes, that's a real sentence that makes real sense.) For context, this was originally released in late May for some of our Patreon supporters.

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As we say in the pre-show, we’ve donated to the Marshall Project, which seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system.

If you are able, we would encourage you to also support those fighting for the rights of Black folks in the face of escalating police violence. More donation links and educational resources can be found at: blacklivesmatters.carrd.co

Consider ordering some books from Black-owned independent bookstores. LitHub has a great list.

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Support the show by buying the book!
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