Stop! Homer Time: The Iliad - Episodes 5 and 6 (Books 10-14)

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 10-14.

Episode 5: It's time for a three-fer! This little triptych of books explores the combat of the Iliad from a few different perspectives:

Stealth (Book 10): Diomedes and Odysseus engaging in feats of derring-do. Non-lethal Damage (Book 11): Greeks and Trojans alike suffer setbacks but most of the Dramatis Personae survive. Siege (Book 12): Did you know the Greeks ALSO have a wall? And that the Trojans are besieging THEM?!

Episode 6: We're past the halfway point, and the fighting continues, with the Trojans managing to make it behind the Greek walls to cause some trouble (not that we're ever really allowed to believe they might win). Poseidon aids the Greeks. Hera suits up and bones Zeus to sleep so that some other gods can get in on the action.

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

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Ep 649 - Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward

This week we travel back to Bois Sauvage to revisit the work of acclaimed author Jesmyn Ward. Sing, Unburied, Sing introduces us to a family on hard times, preparing to welcome back a member from prison while also grappling with the ghosts that demand their attention. For more discussion of Jesmyn Ward, head to Ep 283 - Salvage the Bones.

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Ep 648 - Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill and Rosa Lee Beeland

We're learning how to THINK AND GROW RICH with our good frenemy Napoleon Hill!

This bonus episode was recorded live with an audience of our Patreon supporters. Find out how to join us for future bonus recordings at patreon.com/overduepod.

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Ep 647 - I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov's short story collection-turned-novel has very little to do with the mid-2000s Will Smith movie adaptation, which is a good thing. It's a lot less about robots rising up and killing their creators, and more about the law of unintended consequences.

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Ep 646 - A Bear Called Paddington, by Michael Bond

"We just found this bear at the train station and he seems cool? Like he's good at shopping and staring at people. Let's bring him home! Don't mind all the mess he makes." That's probably what the Browns said to themselves upon first spying a charming little bear at Paddington Station. Celebrate Children's Book Week with us by diving into the first appearance of this marmalade-loving lil scamp.

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Ep 645 - Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn

Did you know that before Gillian Flynn brought us the book Gone Girl, the movie Gone Girl, and the concept of "Gone Girl-ing" someone, she wrote a murder mystery about a different kind of unhealthy family dynamic! 

This episode briefly discusses self-harm.

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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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