Tales In Our Times

Narrative Nerds

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Two narrative nerds discussing storytelling and the way it influences every part of our lives. This content does contain swears and is intended for entertainment purposes. Additionally, please excuse any inaccurate factual information as our research is whatever we have time for in a given episode.

07/09/2025

EP37. Adapted Narratives

Hello, beautiful readers. This week we talk about the ways in which different narratives are adapted. In a world with so many forms of media available, it’s interesting to see how some narratives are brought from one medium to another. See below for books mentioned! Intro song Bookmark and audio editing by Quatroizer. Logo art by Gabriel de Mello. Books Mentioned: How The Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith Jr Quicksand by Nella Larsen Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Room and The Wonder (erroneously referred to as “The Gift” by the hosts) by Emma Donoghue Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer Twilight by Stephanie Meyer Eragon by Christopher Paolini Watership Down by Richard Adams The Witches and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Animal Farm by George Orwell

51 min
07/02/2025

EP36. Magic Systems in Narratives

Hello, readers! We are back with another episode, this time all about the ways in which writers use magic. It’s such a keystone metaphor, it feels very interesting to us! Alright, I’m lying; this is a George episode. But Mum enjoyed herself, swear! See below for books mentioned. Intro song Bookmark and audio editing by Quatroizer. Logo art by Gabriel de Mello. Books Mentioned: Word Poem by Nicki Giovanni Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo Quicksand and Passing by Nella Larsen They Were Her Property by Stephanie E Jones-Rogers Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis The Broken Earth series by NK Jemisin Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone Mrs Pepperpot Stories by Alf Prøysen His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman The Testament of Solomon The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda (Jennifer Rowe)

51 min
06/25/2025

EP35. Poetry Narratives (ft. Annmarie Lockhart)

Hello again, our friends! Please join us for this incredible discussion with our friend and family member, Annmarie Lockhart. We talk about poetry and all the ways in which verse can open our minds. It’s a fantastic discussion, I sincerely became smarter for it. Hope you enjoy, and see below for a list of books mentioned! Intro song Bookmark and audio editing by Quatroizer. Logo art by Gabriel de Mello. Books Mentioned: Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik If Beale Street Could Talk and Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin Monstrilio: A Novel by Gerardo Sámano Córdova Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments by Margaret Atwood Beaver Girl by Cassie Premo Steele The Last Chairlift by John Irving James by Percival Everett Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe Now We Are Six and When We Were Very Young by AA Milne If by Rudyard Kipling Beowulf The Terrible Stories by Lucille Clifton The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats This Be The Verse by Phillip Larkin Mitochondrial Night by Ed Bok Lee Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón http://voxpoetica.com/

1h 5m
06/18/2025

EP34. Readers' Narratives

Hello, readers! It’s been so long! We’re so happy to be back with a few episodes we recorded earlier last year, and soon will be back with some new episodes, huzzah! This episode we get a little judgmental; we look over an updated Top 100 list and George runs his mouth (que sorpresa). It’s fun to chat a bit of trash! Hope you enjoy, and please see below for books mentioned. Intro song Bookmark and audio editing by Quatroizer. Logo art by Gabriel de Mello. Books Mentioned: If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin Staying On Alone and The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook by Alice B Toklas Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver About a Boy, Juliet, Naked, and High Fidelity by Nick Hornby Goosebumps by RL Stine On Beauty by Zadie Smith Brick Lane by Monica Ali Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Piranesi by Susanna Clarke The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan Circe and Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller The Knowledge by Mark Jackson Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

56 min
12/04/2024

EP33. Dinosaur Narratives

Rawwwwwr! It’s an episode about big bloomin’ lizards! Mum’s a huge dino fan, so we thought we’d look at some of the best narratives that include them, and what they’re helpful for. See below for books mentioned! Intro song Bookmark and audio editing by Quatroizer. Logo art by Gabriel de Mello. Books Mentioned: Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyan If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin Jurassic Park and Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World by Shelley Emling Dinotopia by James Gurney Deltora Quest by Jennifer Rowe as Emily Rodda The Last Dinosaur by Jim Murphy Hell Creek by C Robert Cargill

44 min
11/27/2024

EP32. Dystopian Narratives

Hello, again! We’re fresh off of George’s wedding, finally back to weekly posting, first off with our episode on Dystopian Narratives! A dystopia is…well, we probably don’t need to describe it to our listeners in the US, but there’s a rich vein of books and stories written in dystopian society settings, whether you think of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, or Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, we’re sure everyone has enjoyed a narrative like this in their time. Chune in, we hope you enjoy! See below for a list of the books mentioned. Intro song Bookmark and audio editing by Quatroizer. Logo art by Gabriel de Mello.

48 min
06/05/2024

EP31. Library Narratives (ft. Amelia Zimmerman)

We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to interview friend and excellent librarian, Amelia Zimmerman!!! We talk to her about the need for third places, the ways that librarians work to provide valuable resources to their communities, and generally just have a laugh about the books we love. Thanks so much to Amelia for coming and hanging out with us, she’s the best. See below for books mentioned! Intro song Bookmark and audio editing by Quatroizer. Logo art by Gabriel de Mello. Books Mentioned: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffrey The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin The Reformatory by Tananarive Due The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas Passing and Quicksand by Nella Larsen Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin The Incendiaries by RO Kwon A Visit from the Goon Squad and The Invisible Circus by Jennifer Egan Infinite Jest and Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt The Watchmen by Alan Moore The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

1h 13m
05/29/2024

EP30. Terry Pratchett’s Narratives

In this week’s episode, we take an excursion through the work of one of our literary heroes: the excellent Terry Pratchett! The nerds talk about his beginning and evolution into the wizard of the Discworld that he became. See below for books mentioned! Intro song Bookmark and audio editing by Quatroizer. Logo art by Gabriel de Mello. Books Mentioned: If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffrey Passing and Quicksand by Nella Larsen The Immortals of Tehran by Ali Araghi Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Clear by Carys Davies Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan The Discworld series: The Color of Magic, Mort, Guards, Guards!, Feet of Clay, Men at Arms, The Truth, Going Postal, Moving Pictures, Making Money, Raising Steam and many more by Terry Pratchett Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman My Man Jeeves by PG Wodehouse Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander

49 min

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

Two narrative nerds discussing storytelling and the way it influences every part of our lives. This content does contain swears and is intended for entertainment purposes. Additionally, please excuse any inaccurate factual information as our research is whatever we have time for in a given episode.

Creator

Narrative Nerds
Years Active

2023 - 2025
Episodes

36
Rating

Explicit
Show Website

Tales In Our Times