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Carrie: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Books and Bites podcast. Each month we bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them. I'm Carrie Green and I'm here with my co hosts Michael Cunningham and Jacqueline Cooper. 

Michael: Hello. 

Jacqueline: Hello friends. 

Carrie: So we're kicking off 2024 with a new version of Books and Bites bingo, this time with two bingo cards for the year.

Jacqueline: Yay. So much fun. 

Carrie: So for this Winter Spring Edition, keep track of the books you read or listened to from now through June 30th. And if you complete all 25 squares, you'll have a chance to win either a $100 Joseph Beth gift card or an Amazon Kindle. And as long as supplies last, you'll earn your very own enamel pin.

So, what prompts are you all the most excited about for this new [00:01:00] challenge? Because we've got some, we've got some really good ones coming up. 

Michael: Well, for me, I think I'm most excited for romance. 

Jacqueline: Oh, yeah, right. I somehow don't believe you. Horror romance. 

Michael: Oh, yeah. It exists. It's out there. 

Carrie: Well, you said, you said you enjoyed the paranormal romance stories you read in the last book.

Michael: Yeah. 

Carrie: So, I'm, I'm curious to see what you're going to come up with for that one. 

Jacqueline: I'm usually, I'm always up for a romance , usually, but I'm really looking forward to a book with a map because I really, you know, I like fantasy, so usually fantasy books have maps. 

Carrie: Mm hmm. 

Michael: Yeah, that one's pretty cool. 

Carrie: Yeah, and that's one that can apply to I think a lot of different books, so travel books, or like you said, fantasy books. I mean, I've read, I've read literary fiction that has maps in it, too, so I think it'll be fun to find the books with the maps. 

Michael: Yeah, that's [00:02:00] the best part. 

Jacqueline: Well, that will be fun. Yeah.

Carrie: Like a little treasure hunt. I think, I don't know. I'm, I'm excited about both of those. You know, we were talking about in the Books and Bites book club, romances, and, someone said, the great thing about romance is they always have happy endings. And, and, I think they often do. , Maybe not a paranormal romance, but you know, when you have that.

Wolfman that you're in a relationship with maybe, maybe you can't have a fully happy ending. 

Michael: True Blood, uh, the Sookie Stackhouse books. 

Jacqueline: In YA, they always, they seem to have like triangles a lot, so someone usually doesn't get a happy ending. 

Carrie: Oh, okay. 

Michael: Someone's gonna get jilted. 

Jacqueline: Like in Twilight, which he, he did end up with her daughter, which is all kind of weird, but.

Michael: Spoilers. 

Jacqueline: Yeah. Sorry. I think everyone's read Twilight. [00:03:00] But anyway. Yeah. So there's that. With YA. 

Michael: Oh yeah.

Jacqueline: It does seem to be that. 

Carrie: Yeah. The unrequited thing is 

Jacqueline: It's a big 

Carrie: Yeah. 

Michael: What was that one? The other one? Hunger Games. 

Jacqueline: Right. Hunger Games is another one. There's the So many. Same time. 

Carrie: But I wouldn't think of Hunger Games as being, it's not a romance, just romance as an element to it.

Jacqueline: True. Oh, that's true. 

Carrie: It's more of like a dystopian novel, right?

Michael: I guess 

it's the love triangles, the same. 

Jacqueline: Yeah, that's true. I mean, if you think about some of the other ones, like Jenny Han's book, they always end up with a happy ending. 

Carrie: Yeah.

Jacqueline: But you, they, they are pretty formulaic. But, in that aspect, for sure.

Carrie: I think often the formula is what draws people to genre fiction, because you know what to expect, right? But anyway, [00:04:00] if you haven't read, if you're not a big romance reader, then maybe this is your opportunity to explore that genre. 

Michael: Like me!

Jacqueline: Yay! Yay! Yay! 

Carrie: So today we are talking about books that you can read in one sitting, and that of course is open to many different genres.

So it also, you know, some people can read a really long book in one sitting. So if you can do that, more power to you, , but you know, graphic novels. 

Michael: Yeah, novellas.

Jacqueline: Yeah, that's why I chose a novella, because it was only like an hour and the one I chose was only like an hour and 15 minutes. So I was like, I could read a lot of books if you, I think you're, I was actually looking at what one setting means.

So some people interpret that very differently too, though, some people are like, they think one setting is they just read that book until they were finished like in a couple of days or something. [00:05:00] Whereas one setting to me was like reading without stopping. 

Carrie: Yeah, but you know, as always is on the honor system.

So whatever definition works for you, works for us.

The book I chose to read is Foster by Claire Keegan. Foster is about a young Irish girl sent to live with distant relatives while her mother prepares to give birth to yet another child. The Kinsellas are complete strangers to the girl, who is unnamed throughout the story. They're older than the girl's parents, and they don't have children of their own.

" Here there is room and time to think," the girl realizes. "There may even be money to spare. " The couple gives her the care and attention that is sometimes lacking in her [00:06:00] chaotic home. When the woman, as the girl calls her throughout the book, discovers that the girl has wet the bed her first night, she doesn't scold her.

Instead, she tells the girl that she never should have let her sleep on a "weeping" mattress. Kinsella, too, is tender with her. When she is quiet, he tells her, " you don't ever have to say anything. Always remember that as a thing you need never do. " But there are details to suggest that the Kinsellas have their own sadness.

The girl's bedroom is covered in train wallpaper. When she doesn't have enough clothes, the woman gives her a pair of boys pajamas and pants to wear. It takes a meddling neighbor late in the story for the girl to understand the full scope of their loss. This is a quiet, spare story full of tenderness and the solace that these three bring to one another, however temporary.

Each [00:07:00] carefully chosen detail reveals the characters inner worlds, their desires, their love, and their losses. It's a book you'll want to savor, to go back and read a second time. Since it's so short, just one and a half hours on audio, there's no reason not to. I read the ebook first, then listened to the audiobook on Hoopla.

It's never a bad thing to have a book read to you in an Irish accent, even if I did find the narration of the girl's voice and dialogue a little bit grating. If you're a fan of movie adaptations, the award winning Irish language film The Quiet Girl was based on Foster, and I highly recommend it, too.

Stream it for free from the library on Kanopy. As for what to pair with Foster, rhubarb tart is the first dessert the girl eats in the Kinsella home, cut, " after some little scraps of [00:08:00] speech." I found two recipes for Irish rhubarb tart, one on YouTube, with another Irish accent, and one in the Irish Examiner, and we'll link to them on our blog.

Since we won't get fresh rhubarb until spring, we'll also link to a recipe for rhubarb jam tart. It's not quite the same thing, but it does offer the benefit of being a more immediate pleasure. 

Michael: I've heard good things about that movie The Quiet Girl. I really want to check it out at some point. 

Carrie: Yeah, I recommend it.

, you know, even if you don't have a chance to read the book beforehand, I felt like it really did follow the book pretty closely. Sometimes books don't always lend themselves well. , I think because this book is so short, you know, it kind of translated well to the screen.

And also, the whole movie is not in Irish. There's some English, but, you know, there are [00:09:00] subtitles. But I really enjoy, I love listening not just to Irish accents, but to Irish language. It's a really beautiful sounding language, so that was nice, too. 

Jacqueline: I think it's interesting that they don't name the girl in the in the book, and I always found that sort of interesting because why they chose not to name the person.

Carrie: Yeah, I mean, that's something that I was thinking about as I was reading it, too. They do name her in the movie, you know, you kind of have to have, have a name, but, I mean, she, the girl is the narrator, I mean, as, not as a child, but kind of as an adult looking back. It's not first person, but, you know, it's in her.

Or is it first person? I can't remember now. 

Jacqueline: It's her subconscious. 

Carrie: But yeah, it is, it's, it's through her point of view. I can't remember whether it's first or third person. So, you know, in that respect, you don't [00:10:00] name yourself. You know, if you're talking about something through your point of view. I also think maybe it makes her character a little more universal because you're not putting the associations you might have with a name, um, onto her character, because we all have feelings about different names.

Michael: Yeah, like, her name was Karen. 

Jacqueline: Oh, no. That's an interesting take on it, because I've, well, like, I've read Rebecca, and they don't name the, the main character, and it, for me, it was like, well, Kind of like, what's her name? Why isn't she named? And so there's different people, criticisms say it's for different reasons, but it's kind of interesting.

Carrie: Well, I think, I mean, that's also a very, I haven't read Rebecca, but just from what I understand of it, it's a very different, you know, she's an adult woman, different time [00:11:00] periods. So I think it's going to have a different effect depending on the book. 

Jacqueline: Yeah. That's true. I'm sure it does. The book sounds really interesting, though.

Carrie: Yeah, it's, it's great. It's a really popular book right now. , I guess because of the movie. , so if you have, if you've already read Foster, she has another book that I just recently read as well because I liked Foster so much that would qualify as for a book to read in one sitting. And it's Small Things Like These.

So if you've already read Foster, you might want to check that one out. And it was also, she does a lot with her. you know, a short amount of pages. So that's something I really admire. 

Jacqueline: Yeah. It's hard to write something short. 

Michael: Yeah.

Jacqueline: The book I chose for today's Books and [00:12:00] Bites is by Cassandra Clare, The Course of True Love (and First Dates). Like many young adult novellas, the story is told from the viewpoint of the secondary character in the series. Magnus Bane first appears in Claire's New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments.

This series is about a supernatural conflict between shadow hunters, warriors that are half angel, and Downworlders, a society of mythical beings consisting of vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and fairies. Both factions agree to form an alliance to bring about peace and keep the world safe from the real danger, demons.

The Course of True Love (and First Dates) is an account of Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood's romance told from Magnus' point of view. Magnus is an immortal and immensely powerful warlock, and Alec Lightwood is a Shadowhunter. Although Magnus has used his magic to help Shadowhunters, many of them believe they should only associate with [00:13:00] Downworlders if they need their help.

Before the Alliance, many Shadowhunters killed Downworlders for any small infraction. So Magnus was taken aback when Alec asked him to go on a date. Magnus has lived a long time and has not had much luck with relationships, so he is had a tough time being open and honest. He comes off as jaded and cynical due to his sarcastic humor, but he still longs for love and acceptance.

He is all but given up on relationships until he meets Alec Lightwood. When Magnus looks into the clear blue eyes of Alec Lightwood, sparks fly. Clare's story gives an extremely detailed, humorous account of their date, which illustrates the terrifying and nervous feelings of first dates complete with misunderstandings and romance.

Alex is shy and unsure of himself, and Magnus is afraid of being hurt again. Add in the challenges of being supernatural, and you have an interesting night full of all kinds of surprises. For instance, [00:14:00] try imagining, if you can, being on a date where your werewolf waiter hates you because a Shadowhunter killed their uncle.

Or you must leave in the middle of the date to face an out of control werewolf on the night of a full moon. Will Magnus give up on the relationship if the date goes poorly, or will he see it through? If you want to learn more about Alec and Magnus relationship, or just looking for a book filled with humor and romance, you should read this short story.

I would also recommend the Red Scrolls of Magic. I thought I would look for a beef tip recipe since Alex and Magnus share this Ethiopian staple dish, beef tips, on their first date. And I found a recipe for Ethiopian beef tips at the Gourmet Cubicle website. 

Carrie: I love the, um, the dating problems that crop up in that book.

Jacqueline: It is really funny and they, It's like, it's, I couldn't, you know, I didn't want to talk about all of them, but I was laughing out [00:15:00] loud. Like, it was so funny. Like the werewolf was like, well, he put like spiced up his, uh, one of the dishes, he put like hot stuff in it. And, you know, and then like they got on, the Magnus got on him and he was just like werewolf rights.

And just, it was just so pretty. It's pretty funny. Uh, some of the scenes. 

Michael: So is this an offshoot of the Mortal Instruments? 

Jacqueline: Yeah, well, Magnus

Michael: Or he was a character that was, 

Jacqueline: he was a character that he was, they were both characters in it, but they weren't the main characters and they allude to their romance in the story, but they never really fully explain everything or even what happens until you get to the Red Scrolls of Magic.

So this came before that. And it, it tells about their first date, which was just, it was hilarious. I mean, I was laughing. I've read it. I listened to it several times and I just, every time it made me laugh. So she's very funny. 

Carrie: I'm going to have to check that one out. 

Jacqueline: It only [00:16:00] lasts an hour or so. About an hour and ten minutes long.

Carrie: Yeah, that's the beauty of this challenge. You can try something different. 

Michael: Beef tips are good too. I love beef tips.

Jacqueline: I don't know. 

Carrie: So what makes them, what, like, how is the Ethiopian version different than? 

Jacqueline: It didn't seem like it was a lot different. I think just the spices and stuff in it. It'd be more spicy. 

Carrie: Uh huh. 

Jacqueline: . Cassandra Clare is very, , she's actually born in Tehran. I mean, , I think, yeah, born in Tehran to American parents, and she's traveled pretty extensively.

So I thought that was an interesting fact I just read about her.

Michael: This month, I read In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami, translated from the Japanese by Ralph McCarthy. It's a small [00:17:00] paperback with a page count that clocks in at 217 pages, so it's one that most people can probably read in one sitting. This book begins with a narrator, Kenji, recalling his encounter with a client from the previous year right before New Year's.

Kenji is a Tokyo quote, nightlife guide. A. K. A. Sex Tour Guide for foreign tourists. Three days before New Year's, he gets a call from an American businessman named Frank, who wants Kenji to guide him through the cabarets, massage parlors, S& M bars, and soaplands. He arranges to meet Frank at his hotel the following night.

As he leads Frank through the seedier parts of Tokyo, Kenji begins to feel there's something off about Frank. His behavior is a bit odd, and there's a look that Frank gets that really makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. " I've never seen a face quite like this one. It took me a while to pinpoint exactly what was so odd about it.

The skin. It looked almost artificial, as if he'd been horribly burned and the doctor's had resurfaced his face with this fairly realistic man [00:18:00] made material. " then at one bar, when Frank goes to pay the tab, Kenji notices what appears to be a possible bloodstain on one of the bills, which triggers him to recall the recent murder of a young prostitute in the area.

His suspicion starts to grow throughout the night with Frank's increasingly odd behavior that includes his odd fixation on a homeless man and the bizarre way Frank freezes up inside a batting cage as the baseballs hurl right at him. After that first night, Kenji's paranoia is running at an all time high after a homeless man is found burned to death in a nearby park the next morning.

After finding something strange attached to his door, he's now convinced that Frank is the killer roaming the streets of Tokyo. The first half of the book is very much a noir with a lot of Hitchcockian vibes, especially Rear Window. Then the book decides to just explode into an added graphic violence that forever changes Kenzie's life.

Even though the story takes place within Tokyo's sex industry, [00:19:00] and the cover for the paperback is super provocative, there's not much sex that transpires within the pages. And there's quite a lot to impact for such a short book, like how sex work and consumerism fit into contemporary Japanese culture, the clashing of cultures, loneliness and isolation, etc.

And Frank's parting gift to Kenji could be interpreted in a myriad of ways. Frank says to Kenji at the end of the book, " But now I'm in the miso soup myself. Just like those bits of vegetable. I'm floating around in this giant bowl of it. And that's good enough for me. " So naturally, pair this with a bowl of miso soup.

From a recipe I found in the Gaijin Cookbook. Miso soup is super easy to make. You need five cups of dashi, which is a broth. And there's recipes for it included in this cookbook. A third cup of white miso. A half package of soft tofu in one inch cubes, and a quarter cup dried wakame, , seaweed, soaked in cold water.

Yum. 

Carrie: [00:20:00] [Both laugh.] I'm not sure I'd want to eat it after reading that book, but I do love miso soup. [Both laugh.] Do you ever find out what the story is behind his skin? 

Michael: Kind of. It's, there's a Reading the book, it's, he's like unreliable narrator quality to it. , and it's almost, there's a stream of consciousness, the way he's telling the story, like he's just sitting down, he just is telling to some unnamed person.

, but you do get a lot of exposition about Frank and Kenji too, so, but as far as an explanation about the skin, no, I've noticed in, when you read translated books, sometimes things, I guess when the translator seemed to be a. Off or, or odd or something.

Jacqueline: Something's [00:21:00] lost in the translation. 

Michael: Maybe something is a bit lost, so.

But yeah. He also describes it as metallic and like machine, like touching a machine, like cold like a machine. . I can never really explain 

Carrie: that. Okay. I just, I wondered if there's some significance since you were talking about it, but. 

Michael: Maybe once you, if you peel back a couple of layers, you can probably see.

Heh. Heh. Heh. 

Jacqueline: Heh. So it was originally written in 

Japanese? 

Michael: Yeah. I mean, yeah, there's, there's quite a bit to unpack there because it's in the, from the nineties in Japan and, , a lot of interesting insight into that, into Japanese culture at the time. And, , yeah, you could do a deep dive into that, especially Japanese culture, sex work in the culture and American culture versus Japanese culture.

And. This loneliness in general, how big of a part that is in Japanese culture or where it was in the 90s and [00:22:00] the the work environment there Is brought up quite a bit. 

Carrie: Yeah, I mean the few books that I've read recently that have been Japanese and translated into English that has been and in a book of manga as well that has been a major theme, is that, loneliness and work only being, I mean, that's really, even more so than here, so, so it's interesting to compare.

Jacqueline: Hmm. 

Michael: Yeah. Don't judge it. This is one, don't judge it by the cover because the cover is very, like, you're like, whoa. 

This is, you're 

not.

Carrie: anD I like this trend of choosing books with food as the title that we have going on. 

Michael: Sourdough. Miso soup. 

Jacqueline: Soup. I guess it's my turn to pick one next. 

Carrie: Yep. That should be, that should be a [00:23:00] prompt in a future Books and Bites challenge is a book with food as a title.

Jacqueline: Ooh. 

Michael: Write that down. Put it on a list.

Carrie: Thanks for listening to the Books and Bites podcast. To learn more about Books and Bites Bingo, visit us at jesspublib.org/books-bites. Our theme music is The Breakers from the album In Close Quarters with the Enemy by Scott Whiddon. You can learn more about Scott and his music at his website adoorforadesk.com.

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