BIRD's EyeView of Books

Math Bird

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BOOKS
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BIRD's EyeView of Books

The podcast that celebrates and discusses books, stories, writing and writers. Writer and Welsh borderlands dweller Math Bird explores some of his books and stories, the books and stories he loves to read and the writers who write them, sharing his take on their themes, narratives, beginnings, endings, and everything else in between. mathbird.substack.com

16/12/2024

Ep. 11 - Winter Ghosts

Winter can make us more reflective and susceptible to hauntings, old memories, places, and long-forgotten deeds of the past. In this episode, Math looks at the haunted side of winter with ghosts both real and imagined as explored through three engrossing books. He begins with Miranda Corcoran’s Haunted States (Repeater Books, 2024), which, with its blend of travelogue, history, and cultural criticism, takes us on a journey across America to explore the American Gothic and how its stories and monsters help shape the American landscapes and cultural consciousness. We then delve into the realms of the ghost story anthology and look at two fairly recently published collections: Ghosts of Christmas Past (John Murray, 2017), where tales both humorous and dark give us time for fearful, quiet reflection during those long winter nights. And closing with The Haunting Season (Sphere, 2021), a modern collection of atmospheric, Victorian-inspired gothic tales that explore our darkest traits and fears amid supernatural landscapes and haunted buildings where confinement marries with isolation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

40 min
28/10/2024

Ep. 10 - Halloween Haunts: Unnerving Tales by Ray Bradbury & Edith Wharton

In this Halloween-themed episode, Math delves into two haunting tales, Ray Bradbury’s The October Game and Edith Wharton’s All Souls, and explores Halloween’s long-standing tradition of spine-tingling stories that probe our deepest fears. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

22 min
25/09/2024

Ep. 9 - Noir Britannia: Unravelling the 70s through UK Crime Fiction

Part 3 of a special three-part series exploring the core of UK crime fiction in the turbulent, transformative 1970s. The 70s in the UK were a time of economic struggles, political unrest, and cultural shifts. The crime fiction from this decade, and the ones that followed, not only entertain but also serve as a mirror and a critique of these transformations, making it a significant and thought-provoking genre. In Part 3, Math shifts his focus to contemporary crime fiction set in the 1970s. In this final episode of this special three-part series, he explores how one modern author has revisited and reimagined the decade, weaving historical accuracy with modern sensibilities and also takes an in-depth look at his own 1970s-based crime novel, Welcome to Holyhell. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

22 min
04/09/2024

Ep. 8 - Noir Britannia: Unravelling the 70s through UK Crime Fiction

Part 2 of a special three-part series exploring the core of UK crime fiction in the turbulent, transformative 1970s. The 70s in the UK were a time of economic struggles, political unrest, and cultural shifts. The crime fiction from this decade, and the ones that followed, not only entertain but also serve as a mirror and a critique of these transformations, making it a significant and thought-provoking genre. In Part 2, Math delves into some UK crime novels that defined 1970s Britain. He explores seminal works that were not only published during this decade but also encapsulated the essence of the times. From gritty noir and urban realism to police procedurals and detective stories, these novels did more than entertain; they reflected and critiqued the political, social, and cultural atmosphere of 1970s Britain. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

25 min
23/04/2024

Ep. 7 - Noir Britannia: Unravelling the 70s through UK Crime Fiction

Part 1 of a special three-part series exploring the core of UK crime fiction in the turbulent, transformative 1970s. The 70s in the UK were a time of economic struggles, political unrest, and cultural shifts. The crime fiction from this decade, and the ones that followed, not only entertain but also serve as a mirror and a critique of these transformations, making it a significant and thought-provoking genre. In Part 1, Math sets the scene and transports us back to the 1970s to explore the backdrop against which UK crime fiction flourished. From the political unrest and economic turmoil that characterised the decade to the explosion of punk music and groundbreaking television that challenged societal norms, he paints a vivid picture of the era that crime fiction authors were living in and responding to. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

29 min
15/03/2024

Ep. 6 - Roots and Revelations:

Math spotlights two of Flintshire’s finest literary sons, Emlyn Williams and Emyr Humphreys, and explores the themes that define their literary legacy and the ways in which Flintshire has influenced their storytelling and shaped their national perspectives and contributions to Welsh literature. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

30 min
03/02/2024

Ep. 5 - Border Tales: Flintshire's Literary Mosaic

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

36 min
02/01/2024

BONUS Ep. 4 - Optimum tui instar esto

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mathbird.substack.com A special seasonal episode where Math reads his short story: Optimum tui instar esto: a folk horror tale for Christmas and the New Year or any dark winter's night.

10 min
06/12/2023

Ep. 3 - M. R. James's Ghost Stories - Elements of the Jamesian Tale

Math explores the ghost stories of M. R. James, what makes a ghost story Jamesian and how recent writers have used these elements in their supernatural fiction. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

22 min
18/11/2023

Ep. 2 - Welsh Crime Fiction

Math looks at Welsh Crime Fiction, specifically where Crime and Literary fiction converge and where this coming together of genres has been used to explore Wales’s south, west, and northeast regions. By discussing four selected Welsh crime novels, Math looks at each novel’s approach to the Welsh region it represents. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

26 min
04/11/2023

Ep. 1 - Witches Copse and The Signal-Man

Math shares a preview and some insights on his occult-noir thriller Witches Copse. Then, he shares his take on Charles Dickens’s classic ghost story, The Signal-Man and how the narrator of this eerie tale can be viewed in a different light when we add a little more context. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mathbird.substack.com/subscribe

24 min

11 Episodes

5

out of 5

2 Ratings

The podcast that celebrates and discusses books, stories, writing and writers. Writer and Welsh borderlands dweller Math Bird explores some of his books and stories, the books and stories he loves to read and the writers who write them, sharing his take on their themes, narratives, beginnings, endings, and everything else in between. mathbird.substack.com

Creator

Math Bird
Years Active

2023 - 2024
Episodes

11
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Math Bird
Show Website

BIRD's EyeView of Books