Shared Pages

#44 Imre Kertész: Fatelessness (Sorstalanság)

Fatelessness is a novel by Imre Kertész which won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2002. Ian chose this novel out of familial interest as his father is from Budapest, but he also naturally is inclined to be interested in World War 2 literature. The novel is semi-autobiographical and tells the story of György, a young boy who is swept up and taken to Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and survives. It explores how people can become faceless, even during major historical events, and how one cannot separate themselves from the past, even when it is something horrendous.

 

Next month's pick is Ronnie's and she chose: The Seep, by Chana Porter which is set in a utopian world after an alien race invades the Earth!

#43 O. O. Sangyomi's: Masquerade

For Black History month, Ronnie chose O. O. Sangyomi's: Masquerade. This novel is the author's debut and is an alternate universe were Yorubaland is a dominant tribe instead of the Oyo. This story follows Òdòdó’s, a young blacksmith in a world that treats them as witches, whose home of Timbuktu is conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland. Following this, she is abducted, engaged to the Alaafin- the king. Òdòdó's story follows her as she reconciles her past, her future, and the intrigues of court, all while searching for her mother who has gone missing. Listen to the episode and let us know if you agree with our takes! And make sure to join us on the Fable app for to discuss next month's read!

 

Next month is Ian's choice and were reading: Fatelessness (Sorstalanság), a Holocaust novel by Imre Kertész that won the Nobel Literature prize in 2002.

 

The music used in the intro and outro is Otterfunk from Streambeats.

 

#42 Sofia Ajram's: Coup de Grâce

TW: Suicide and Self-Harm

Happy New Year (despite the first time you hearing this episode being February 1st)!  We hope you had a nice holiday season and the beginning of 2025 is treating you well. This month's pick was Ian's, and he choose Sofia Ajram's: Coup de Grâce, which takes place in an ever-expanding, liminal, Montreal train station. The main character is a suicidal person named Vicken, who gets stuck and is forced to try and survive as they search for an escape from this place.

 

February's pick is Ronnie's and she's chosen: Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi.

#41 Jennifer Saint's: Atalanta

It's a little late, but we're all caught up now on the podcast. Between Ian's sickness and traveling for the holidays we fell behind, but we did read Atalanta by Jennifer Saint. Both Ian and Ronnie are big into Greek mythology and have a lot to discuss. We end up comparing Atlanta to other famous characters like Jason and Medea and explore Atlanta's story in the larger context of Greek mythology. 

 

For January 2025, Ian's pick is Coup de Grâce by Sofia Arjam which is a horror story that takes place in an infinite Montreal subway. Join us next month for our discussion and also check out the Fable app! We made a Shared Pages book club on there. All you have to do is download the app, import your Goodreads lists, and search the book clubs for Shared Pages! 

 

#40 Phillipe Sands, East West Street: On the Origins of 'Genocide" and 'Crimes Against Humanity'

So this episode is very late. Unfortunately, Ian had an upper respiratory infection and was pretty much bedridden for three weeks. You can still hear the sickness in his voice, but we wanted to make sure that we at least discussed East West Street a little bit. East West Street is part memoir, part historical text, and part legal scholarship. The text explores many people's lives-including the author's grandfather-focuses largely on Raphael Lemkin who coined the term 'genocide' and Hersch Lauterpacht who introduced the term 'crimes against humanity'. This text was different from what Ian expected, but we still learned a lot and had an interesting conversation about history and what we learned in school. 

 

Coming up at the end of December is Ronnie's pick which is Atalanta by Jennifer Saint. 

#39 R.F. Kuang's: Yellowface!

It feels like it's been forever (even though it's only been a month) but it's Halloween and time for Ronnie's book of the month which is R.F. Kuang's, Yellowface! Ian picked Babel last year and we both loved it, so now we're jumping in again with the story of Juniper Song, an author who steals her deceased "friend's" draft and publishes it as her own. From there, the story unravels in a satire about publishing, racism, and who can tell what stories. Listen to the episode and find out what we thought!

 

November's book is Ian's pick: Phillipe Sand's, East West Street.  

#38 Hannah Ritchie's: Not the End of the World!

We're a little late this month. Sorry about that, but with hurricane Helene, flooding, and guests, we had to record a day late. This month is Ian's pick and he found Hannah Ritchie's: Not the End of the World via a Vlog Brother's video in which John Green recommended books. Not the End of the World addresses climate change, and the doom we all feel around it, but also gives us a reason to be hopeful. The book starts big and moves inward, addressing facts, myths, and worries we all have. We enjoyed learning about our world and the reasons to be optimistic about it! 

 

October's book of the month is Ronnie's choice and she chose R.F. Kuang's, Yellowface. Join us next episode to hear us talk about our thoughts regarding the book! 

#37 M. L. Wang's: The Sword of Kaigen

For the month of August, Ronnie chose, M. L. Wang's: "The Sword of Kaigen" which is a self-published novel set in an original universe created by the author. It's a pretty hefty tome, with a map, glossary, and all kinds of cool stuff inside. It turns out that we decided to read a heavy world-building novel the same month we moved but we got through it and have a lot to talk about. The novel follows a family living on the coast of Kaigen who defend the country from other country's initial attacks. As the novel progresses it explores ideas like misogyny, propaganda, honor, and duty. 

 

September's novel is: "Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet" by Hannah Ritchie. 

#36 Magda Szabó's: The Door

July was Ian's pick and he chose Magda Szabó's: The Door which follows the lives of two women just after World War II. When the main character, Magda, whose work has been censored for some time begins to get attention, she realizes that she needs a housekeeper. Emerence is recommended to them by a friend but turns out to be a bit strange. She sets her own hours, tasks, and wages, but slowly a friendship grows between the women. However, Emerence lives alone and never lets anyone see through her door and what's behind it surprises everyone. 

 

Next month's pick is The Sword of Kaifen by M.L. Wang. Read along with us and let us know what you think over at SharedPagesPod on Twitter. 

#35 Bethany Baptiste's: The Poisons We Drink

Originally, Bethany Baptiste's: The Poisons We Drink was supposed to be read earlier this year, but due to publishing delays, we had to move things around. Then, Ronnie's original pick for this month got delayed so we brought back The Poisons We Drink. Baptiste's debut novel explores an urban fantasy world where magical humans named Witchers live among us. One of these Witchers, a woman named Venus, brews love potions- an especially dangerous trade among Witchers. At the same time, the novel explores discrimination related to Witchers, political plots and intrigue, morally gray characters, and revenge. There's a lot going on in this story so take a listen a let us know what you think. For clarity, The Poisons We Drink wasn't our favorite novel but that doesn't mean we can't have a good discussion about it. 

 

Next month's book is Ian's pick, The Door by Magda Szabó.