Colored Pages Book Club

Witi Ihimaera‘s ”Whale Rider” Part 1

Hello, Colorful Cast of Characters! Welcome back to another episode of CPBC, that's right, the dynamic duo is at it again and this time we are reading....The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera! I know, that's a surprise, we switched it up on ya'll, but you know what they say, surprises are the spice of life...or something. 

We explain why we chose not to read The Bone People by Keri Hulme in the intro. So, if you're up for it, feel free to join us as we laugh, pontificate, and chat through this modern Maori novel!

Intro - 00:10 -15:28

Plot Summary - 15:48 - 35:21

Discussion - 35:36 - 01:05:48

*Trigger Warning: This episode discusses child abuse from 3:05 - 5:48 and racial violence from 31:34 -35:21*

Wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes? You can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Reading List here: https://linktr.ee/thecoloredpages . You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

Yangsze Choo‘s ”Ghost Bride” Part 2

Come one, come all! We've got a Part 2 for you, doll ;) 

Yes, so this week, we're wrapping up our conversation on the paranormal, riveting, and honestly hilarious, Ghost Bride!! Gather your hopefully not expired Halloween candy as your favorite honey bunches, Ako and Marci, discuss annoying puppet servants, fine ass Er Lang, and how to properly infiltrate someone's dream.  

Intro/Icebreaker Question: 00:07 - 10:11

Plot Summary: 10:26 - 1:00:26

Discussion: 1:00:36 - 1:30:44

Wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes? You can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Reading List here: https://linktr.ee/thecoloredpages . You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

Yangsze Choo‘s ”Ghost Bride” Part 1

Hello, colorful cast of characters! Welcome back to CPBC--that bi-weekly book club masquerading as a podcast. This month, we’re reading something spooky, a ghost story full of corruption, love, and mystery.

So join Ako and Marci as they follow Li Lan on her journey to avoid a terrible marriage and hopefully return to her body in Yangsze Choo’s haunted historical fiction novel The Ghost Bride.

Intro/Question: 00:06 - 14:19

Summary: 14:39 - 59:17

Discussion: 59:31 - 01:24:49

*Content Warning: Brief mention of suicide from 22:40 - 23:39 and from 45:55 - 46:06*

Interested in a similar spooky-type episode? Check out our other spooky ghost episodes on “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia here!

Wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes? You can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Reading List here: https://linktr.ee/thecoloredpages . You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

N.K. Jemisin‘s ”Stone Sky” Part 2

Wow, so we're here. Finally, after almost 3 years, we conclude the Broken Earth trilogy! We laughed, we cried--not really, but it was a cute ending or whatever, so let's discuss! Sit back and enjoy as your fave hosts, Ako and Marci, discuss who they are in the story, Hoa's questionable takes, and, of course, the VERY anime conclusion to this epic trilogy!

Intro/Icebreaker Question: 00:07 - 13:48

Plot Summary: 14:09 - 54:16

Discussion: 54:26 - 1:18:56

Wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes? You can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Reading List here: https://linktr.ee/thecoloredpages (the linktree will be updated soon, promise!). You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

N.K. Jemisin‘s ”Stone Sky” Part 1

'Sup literary listeners! It's been a minute, glad you're here! We know the summer may be over, but never fear for CPBC is back with our regularly scheduled programming. And today,  we're kicking off the third season with the last "season" of N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy, The Stone Sky.

That's right, three years and a plethora of books later, we have reached the penultimate conclusion of our very first episode! So join Marci and Ako as they discuss how they've grown, how the podcast has changed, and what they think comes next for flawed Essun, hilarious Tonkee, tragic Nassun, evil ass Schaffa, and more!

Intro: 00:32 - 22:53

Summary: 23:14 - 1:06:41

Discussion: 1:06:54 - 1:40:57

Also, we know its no longer the 21st night of September, buttt can you blame us?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk

Also, also! Check out this link to listen to a more accurate rendition of "Ain't I a Woman" by Sojourner Truth!

Wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes? You can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Reading List here: https://linktr.ee/thecoloredpages (the linktree will be updated soon!). You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

George M. Johnson‘s ”All Boys Aren‘t Blue”

Hello, oatmeal cream pies! Ugh, wow, truly can't believe that the Summer Short Series is over. That, in itself, feels absurd and like a thing that should not be true, but alas. Luckily, however, we are closing the Summer Short Series with a B A N G! Persepolis did something to us because we'll be closing out the summer with another memoir--this one being called All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson! So sit back and enjoy as we discuss the intersection of being Black and queer, the best time to write a memoir, alternative versions of masculinity, and, of course, honey child (that'll make sense, we promise)! 

Intro/Icebreaker Question: 00:07 - 16:40

"Plot" Summary*: 16:57 - 47:57

Discussion: 48:06 - 1:28:03

Wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes? You can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Reading List here: https://linktr.ee/thecoloredpages (the linktree will be updated soon!). You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

*Trigger Warning* Brief mention of sexual assault from 30:03 - 33:44

Olive Senior‘s ”Pain Tree”

Hello, Colorful Cast of Characters! Welcome back to another episode of CPBC! This week is the penultimate episode of the Summer Short Series--that's right ya'll, the summer is coming to a close :( And, on that note, this is a bit more of a somber/lowkey episode, but hey, rainy days are also part of the summer too, right?

So join Marci and Ako as they discuss dealing with their worst days, the haunting remains of capitalism, and the complexity of pain in this beautiful and poetic Caribbean short story -- The Pain Tree by Olive Senior.

Intro/Question: 00:12 - 17:57

Summary: 18:17 - 31:26

Discussion: 31:40 - 59:09

Wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes? You can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Summer Reading List here: https://linktr.ee/thecoloredpages . You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

Audre Lorde's "A Woman Speaks" & Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?"

Hey frenssss! The Summer Short Series rages on as we dive into some poetry this week with a special ~comparative literature~ themed episode. We explicate Audre Lorde's poem, "A Woman Speaks", and Sojourner Truth's iconic speech, "Ain't I a Woman?", and compare the energies, magic, and themes between the two. So enjoy yourselves as we discuss our histories with poetry, the expansiveness of womanhood, and all the things in between!

Intro/Icebreaker Question: 00:07 - 22:20

Poetry Recitation*/Discussion: 22:41 - 53:29

Wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes? You can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Summer Reading List here: https://linktr.ee/thecoloredpages . You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

*Btw, for some more poetry recitation, feel free to check out Button Poetry! 

Brianna Lei‘s ”Butterfly Soup” (feat. Books and Boba)

Hey literary listeners! CPBC is back again with another episode of the Summer Short Series! And this time we're discussing a VIDEO GAME!!! That’s right y'all--apparently, you pushed "random" on Super Smash Brothers and the algorithm spit out an episode that you didn’t expect, but might soon become your favorite. 

So join Ako and Marci this week as we game our way through the 2017 queer baseball visual novel, Butterfly Soup by Brianna Lei.

Oh, did we mention that we brought friends? Almost like we’re a virtual book club or something….? The wonderful, always hilarious, and insightful, Reera and Marvin, from Books and Boba stop by to discuss sports anime we’d be in, our high school musical experiences, the oh so delicious bitter melon, and so much more as we explore this millennial Asian-American queer coming-of-age story!

Intro: 00:00 - 26:42

Plot Summary: 27:02 - 42:52

Discussion: 43:05 - 1:33:48

Wanna listen to more Books and Boba? Of course you do! Check them out on their website (https://booksandboba.com/) or on Instagram @booksandboba (or separately @marvinyueh & @reeraboo). You can find their show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

And, of course if you wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes, you can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Summer Reading List here: https://linktr.ee/thecoloredpages . You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

Hope Nicholson's "Love Beyond Body, Space, & Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology"

Hello stardust pals! This week, we continue our Summer Short Series with an anthology, edited by Hope Nicholson, that explores indigenous science fiction, urban fantasy, and LGBTQIA+/Two-Spirit characters! To add some chaos, Ako and Marci both read 3 stories--2 of which they both mutually read and 1 story that the other person didn't read! So grab a snack and enjoy yourselves as Ako and Marci discuss the simulated lives they would curate, thirsty teenage antics, gender-expansive cyborgs, and the artificial divide between nature and ourselves.

Intro/Ako's Question: 00:07 - 15:21

Mutually Read Stories: 15:37 - 45:11

*Story Swap: 45:19 - 1:05:32

The stories we read included "Imposter Syndrome" by Mari Kurisato, "Perfectly You" by David A. Robertson, "The Boys Who Became The Hummingbirds" by Daniel Heath Justice, and "Parallax" by Cleo Keahna.

Wanna stay afloat on all our latest episodes? You can find the links to our Twitter (@TheColoredPages), Instagram (@TheseColoredPages), Website (thesecoloredpages.com), and Summer Reading List here: linktr.ee/thecoloredpages . You can also reach us directly by emailing us at thesecoloredpages@gmail.com . Come say hi!!

*The poem that Ako is referencing near the outro is "Trans Diptych" by Syd Westley.