Shared Pages

#25 Andrew White’s: Hell Followed With Us!

For the month of August, Ronnie chose Andrew White's: Hellow Followed With Us. This book is a dystopian, body horror, queer-rage story filled with Christian evangelicals and monsters. At the core of this story is the idea of embracing your inner monsters and fighting back against your oppressors. It's a rapid novel that takes place over a violent few days and revolves around a trans boy named Benji, a kid named Nick, and other youths just trying to survive. 

Ian's choice for September is another spooky read titled: Providence Girls by Morgan Dante—a sapphic love story in the vein of Lovecraft with romance, cults, and transformation. The novel releases on September 5th and we're looking forward to checking it out. Be warned, Dante's website lists a bunch of trigger warnings!   

#24 Johnny Compton’s: The Spite House!

Ian choose the book for July and was in the mood for something spooky (as always) so he chose Compton's: The Spite House. The story revolves around a family of three, on the run with secrets, and desperate for cash. When they're offered a lot of money to stay in a haunted house things get spooky fast. Compton has been featured in various collections as well as on the NoSleep Podcast and the story zips along quickly. Listen to the show to find out what we thought of this book that sits somewhere in the same vein as The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

 

For August, Ronnie chose "Hell Followed With Us" by Andrew Joseph White. 

#23 Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone’s: This Is How You Lose the Time War!

There was quite a bit of conversation about Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone’s: This Is How You Lose the Time War this month so Ronnie decided to choose the novel as her pick! We both had a great time reading this story and honestly, had a bit longer of a conversation than expected because the novel is so compact. In Ian's opinion, time travel stories can get messy real fast but this one holds up pretty well!

 

July's pick is Ian's and he's choosing: The Spite House by Johnny Compton! Read along with us and let us know what you think of the books! 

#22 R.F. Kuang’s Babel!

This month, Ian wanted to read R.F. Kuang's: Babel! Babel is the story of a young Cantonese boy named Robin who is brought to England and raised to work at the Oxford Translation Institute. In this version of England, the empire is powered by silver working and a magical version of language translation. Babel follows Robin and his friends Ramy, Victoire, and Letty as they navigate the world and find their place in it. Babel offers a lot of cultural criticism and broaches interesting topics including language, history, and colonialism, and tells it through an interesting, academic lens. We both loved it!

 

Next month, we're reading: "This Is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone!

#21 Sequoia Nagamatsu’s: How High We Go in the Dark

This month Ronnie chose Sequoia Nagamatsu's : How High We Go in the Dark. A story about an "arctic plague" that changes the world forever. It's a bit of a heavy read with some really interesting themes that show how humans work together in the face of adversity. We enjoyed the concept but had a few mixed feelings about the way the story was actually presented. It's beautiful but we wanted a bit more out of it. Listen to the whole episode to hear our full thoughts!   

For the month of May, Ian chose R.F Kuang's: Babel: An Arcane History! Pick up the book and read along with us for next month's episode! 

#20 Hailey Piper’s: No Gods for Drowning

No God's for Drowning was an absolute treat to read.

 

Come hang out with us and listen as we discuss the story. No Gods for Drowning takes place in a world where the gods are present and interact in people's everyday lives, but one day they all disappear. A decade later creatures known as glories threaten the city of Valentine while a woman named Lilac sacrifices people to try and summon the gods back in order to save what is left of their city. In a tangled web of intrapersonal relationships Lilac, Alex, Cecil, and Arcadia try to save the city, lives, and themselves as time grows short. 

 

Next month's choice is Ronnie's and she picked: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu!  

#19 Suzanne Walker’s: Mooncakes!

We choose a fluffy graphic novel that was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and drawn by Wendy Xu tells the story of a young witch named Nova who must help their friend Tam combat a demon hellbent on possessing them. Tam is a werewolf on the run from a villainous cult. With help from their grandmothers known as the Nans, family, and a little romance, this story holds a lot of power. It's also heavy on positive representation and just a wholesome time. We really enjoyed reading this one!

 

Next month's book is No Gods for Drowning by Hailey Piper. We liked The Worm and His Kings so much we came back for another book! 

 

Twitter.Com/SharedPagesPod

# 18 Victor LaValle’s: The Ballad of Black Tom

It's 2023 and we decided to start the new year off on a slightly cosmic bend. The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle follows a man named Charlie as he navigates Harlem, magic, racism, and a strange man's desire to awaken a cosmic entity known as The Sleeping King. For a short story, this book contains a lot of characterization and leaves the horror up to the imagination. The events blur together sometimes in this story in a dream-like way! 

Next month's book is a graphic novel called: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu!

 

Come read along with us over at Twitter.Com/SharedPagesPod!

#17 Sayaka Murata’s: Convenience Store Woman

For our final book of the year, Ronnie picked Sayaka Murata's: Convenience Store Woman. A novel about a Keiko, a neurodivergent woman who only wants to fit in with society and to keep working at the convenience store she is employed at. However, societal pressures from coworkers, bosses, friends, and family force her to make changes she isn't ready for. This book is an interesting way to look at society and see how its foundations treat people that don't fit the traditional mold.

 

Next month's book is The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle! Be sure to read along with us over at Twitter.Com/SharedPagesPod! We'll see you in the new year!

#16 Stephen King’s: Fairy Tale!

We chose a pretty lengthy book for the month of November because we forgot with all the Thanksgiving craziness we'd have less time to read, however, we still go the job done! Fairy Tale tells the story of a boy who wants to help his dog live longer. Along the way, he'll go on a magical journey and learn more about who he is. Take a listen and tell us what you thought about the story over at Twitter.Com/SharedPagesPod!

 

Next month's book is: Convince Store Woman by Sayaka Murata! Read along with us and listen to the episode dropping on January first!