CodEX Machina

Wonder what the team behind Strange Land Books has been thinking about and talking about? CodEx Machina is where we spill the beans. Join Laura, Natalia, Bethany, and our guests as we discuss reading, publishing, and all things books!

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August 19 · 1 hr 5 min
The Librarians (feat. Erin Kummer)
Why are librarians being vilified in 2026? On this episode Laura, Bethany, and special guest Erin the librarian discuss the documentary “The Librarians”, which is currently airing on PBS.We delve into “the Krause list” from the documentary, as well as Moms for Liberty and their impact on school boards and book bans. Wetalk about how books are chosen for libraries, and the skill set librarians obtain (and generally heap lots of love on librarians and libraries). There are also occasionally sounds of a baby cooing in the background. WARNING: the episodewill non-graphically discuss terms such as p*dophile and CSAM Links discussed: The Librarians on PBS: https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/the-librarians/ The Librarians documentary website: https://thelibrariansfilm.com/streaming/ The Krause List:https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/94fee7ff93eff9609f141433e41f8ae1/krausebooklist.pdf Text of the emailsent by Matt Krause to selected school superintendants in Texas:https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/965725d7f01b8a25ca44b6fde2f5519b/krauseletter.pdf Text of the billH.B. No. 3979:https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/HB03979F.pdf Analysis of theKrause List by Danika Ellis:https://bookriot.com/texas-book-ban-list/ Moms For LibertyAcademy “Comprehensive Sexuality Education Smart Book”:https://m4lacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/M4LA_CSE-Smart-Book.pdf The Miller Test (theSupreme Court’s definition of obscenity): https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/miller-test/ Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S2 · E1
May 20 · 47 min
The monstrous and the beautiful of every day (feat. Eyesha Elahi)
What if the most ordinary moments of life hold the deepest beauty? In this episode, Eyesha Elahi invites us into her research on the mundane — the quiet rituals, routines, and unnoticed details that shape our days. Through philosophy and literature, we explore how writers and thinkers have described and transformed the everyday into something profound. The novels in questions are: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Severance by Ling Ma Moby Dick by Herman Melville Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Wolf This recording has travelled a long road to reach you, and traces of that journey remain in its sound. But beyond the imperfections lies a conversation we are truly excited to share: a thoughtful exploration of books, stories, and ideas that may inspire you to see the ordinary with new eyes. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E17
January 21 · 47 min
The Memory Police - Strange Land Book Club 7
On this episode Laura, Bethany and Natalia are discussing the Memory Police (1994) by Yoko Ogawa. This is a marvellous novel that deserves its own separate podcast but for now these are our first impressions. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E16
Dec 1, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 - A Day in Life
On this episode of CodEx Machina, Bethany and Laura lead you through a day in the life of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025. Listen to our highlights (which include a booth dedicated to the history of a 14th century Korean book printed with moveable type – almost a century before our good friend Gutenberg did his ol’ printing thang) as we walk you through the sights and activities of the fair. Millicent Weber https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/millicent-weber/ Ylva Verlag https://ylva-verlag.de/ More about Jikji: https://www.bnf.fr/en/jikji-treasure-world-printing The Hof https://www.buchmesse.de/timetable/session/hof-live-ai-and-battle-reality Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠YouTube ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E15
Nov 10, 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
Reading in New Spain, Inquisition, and Literacy (feat. Andrea Reyes Elizondo)
In this episode, we talk to Andrea Reyes Elizondo, a PhD candidate at the University of Leiden, about her research in the history of reading, which focuses on influences on reading in various social groups in New Spain in the eighteenth century. We discuss the answer to “what is reading” then vs. now, and how it relates heavily on access to resources, connections to power and positions in society, and how сritical understanding complex texts is to literacy. We continue to talk about readers during the Inquisition in New Spain, and Andrea provides us with a few cases of readers who push back against power. And of course, we ask Andrea what she is currently reading! Also: Are Bethany, Natalia, and Laura trying to proselytize people into the cult of Book Studies? You have to listen to find this out and so much more! Some of the books mentioned are: Proust and the Squid by Maryann Wolf The AI Con by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna Pixel by Krisztina Tóth Andrea Reyes Elizondo is a self-funded PhD candidate at the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS). Reyes Elizondo researches the history of reading under the supervision of Prof. Paul Hoftijzer and Prof. Adriaan van der Weel. Her dissertation focuses on reconstructing the possibilities of reading for various groups in a society by looking into the context of this cultural technique and the elements that influence it: education, occupation, sociality ofconsumption, culture, and the legal and political system thatregulated the access to texts. Her geographical area of research is New Spain during the eighteenth century. She has written several blog posts about the different aspects of reading: sonority, imagery, speed, approved texts, and distance.She has also written about the ethical considerations fordifferentiating textual from media interpretation when studying past periods, and on the challenges andopportunities for book historical research in Mexico's notarialarchive. Reyes Elizondo is also a researcher at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University where she works on projects related to scientific integrity and openscience, and where she coordinates the focal area ResearchEvaluation & Culture. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠YouTube ⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok ⁠⁠⁠for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
Nov 1, 2025 · 1 hr 11 min
The Dream Hotel - Strange Land Book Club 7
In this episode, we dive into Laila Lalami’s The Dream Hotel — a sharp, thought-provoking novel that blends imagination with unsettling realism. Join us as we unpack our impressions of the book and explore how its vision of AI, capitalism, and power imbalance mirrors our own world. From questions of who controls technology to what it means to be human in a data-driven age, this conversation looks at the future through the lens of literature — and asks whether it’s really as distant as it seems. Tune in to reflect, question, and maybe even dream a little differently. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠YouTube ⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok ⁠⁠⁠for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E12
Oct 9, 2025 · 56 min
Banned Books research (feat. Dr Jennifer Gouck)
This week, Dr. Jennifer Gouck joins us to unpack one of the most pressing issues in American literary culture today — book bans. What exactly are book challenges? Who’s behind them? And what might these bans mean for readers, educators, and publishers in today’s political and cultural climate? Join us as we dig into the complex world of censorship, libraries, and the fight to keep stories accessible — and, as always, to remind everyone to read more books! Resources and works mentioned: 📘 Unbecoming — Seema Yasmin (Simon & Schuster link) 📗 Banned Together — Edited by Ashley Hope Pérez, illustrated by Debbie Fong 🎥 Banned Together Documentary 📖 Forever... by Judy Blume (Wikipedia) 📚 WWU Münster — Banned Books Project 📸 Instagram post 1 📸 Instagram post 2 📖 Ex Marks the Spot — Goodreads 📖 Direbound — Goodreads Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠YouTube ⁠⁠⁠and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok ⁠⁠⁠for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
Sep 22, 2025 · 42 min
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume - Strange Land Book Club 6
Let's talk about banned books! On this episode we discuss a novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (1970) by Judy Blume. It is a story of an 11 year-old-girl and her experiences with physical and spiritual changes, which is what led to the book being banned in some schools in the United States since its publication. This is episode 6 in our Strange Land Book Club series. Follow us on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube ⁠⁠and ⁠⁠TikTok ⁠⁠for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E11
Sep 8, 2025 · 48 min
The Quine Report (feat. Dr Christina Neuwirth)
In this episode, Natalia, Bethany and Laura continue their discussion with Christina Neuwirth. We ask questions about their research of gender inequality in the Scottish literary scene, the culmination of which is the Quine Report, a public document that outlines the data used in their research, along with relevant insights. Findings include datapoints such as “from 1919-2024, 12 Scottish literary prizes were won by men nearly twice as often as women” and “Scotland-based publishers published male authors 50% more than female authors in the years 2017-2019.” https://quinereport.substack.com/p/welcome-to-the-quine-report https://quinereport.com/
Aug 25, 2025 · 38 min
Amphibian (feat. the author Christina Neuwirth) - Strange Land Book Club 5
Imagine you come to work one day and find your office flooded. Author Christina Neuwirth joins us in this discussion to disclose some secrets of their writing process and talk about writing, reading, and hydrating in the office!This is episode 5 in our Strange Land Book Club series. Find Christina here. Books mentioned: The Distance of the Moon by Italo Calvino The Distance of the Moon read by Liev Schreiber The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠YouTube ⁠and ⁠TikTok ⁠for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E9
Aug 11, 2025 · 32 min
Community of Memories with Literary Journal TXT
Chief editors of TXT Celine Kock and Lena Ryzhova joined us today to discuss their upcoming publication. On this episode we discussed what it's like to work on the journal and why community of memories is the topic for this years publication. Visit this site to learn more about TXT! Books mentioned: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao The Master and Margarita by Mikhail BulgakovThe Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer A Sherlock Holmes Adventure Series by Bonnie McBird Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk Dua Lipa's book club https://www.service95.com/tag/book-club Follow us on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E8
Jul 28, 2025 · 38 min
The Tower of Babylon by Ted Chiang - Strange Land Book Club 4.
How high are you ready to climb to knock on heaven's door? On this episode Laura, Natalia and Bethany discuss Ted Chiang's short story The Tower of Babylon (1990). This is episode 4 of our Strange Land Book Club series. Time stamps: Visit us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/codexmachina/?hl=en YouTube www.youtube.com/@CodEXMachina-u1t or TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@codexmachinapodcast Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E7
Jul 13, 2025 · 41 min
Thessaloniki Book Fair 2025
On this episode, Bethany and Laura discuss their experiences at the 2025 Thessaloniki Book Fair. Highlights include: a panel discussing the challenges of translating gender and queerness into smaller languages AND a visit to the Estonian booth, where they are celebrating 500 years since the first book was printed in the Estonian language. We include a short interview with Priit-Hendrik Kaldma, a scholar and translator who works on Estonian-Greek-Estonian translations. On Making Book History, we discuss the Unbound fiasco and the difficulty of being an author in today’s world. Links: Thessaloniki Book Fair https://www.thessalonikibookfair.gr/ 500 Years of EstonianBooks https://www.erm.ee/en/do-you-know-this-story Our favorite translations: Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata Glennkill by Leonie Swann
S1 · E6
Jun 30, 2025 · 29 min
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - Strange Land Book Club 3
From Merlin to mansions…the CodEX Machina crew discusses Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (quite exuberantly) on the latest installment of Strange Land Book Club. In Making Book History, we discuss the discovery of a fragment of the Suite Vulgate du Merlin (a contemporaneously popular 13th century French telling of the King Arthur saga) in, of all things, the binding of a 16th century archival registry. Hey, when you need paper, you grab the closestbook, right? This is episode 3 of our Strange Land Book Club series. Modern Magic UnlocksMerlin’s Medieval Secrets https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/merlin-manuscript-discovered-cambridge Sex, Jealousy andGender: Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca 80 Years On https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/feb/23/olivia-laing-on-daphne-du-mauriers-rebecca-80-years-on Time stamps: 00:38 Making Book History 4:15 Main topic
S1 · E5
Jun 16, 2025 · 34 min
Serialization and Wattpad (feat. Swara Shukla)
Is serialization a thing of the past? Did authors and publishers indulge in publishing serialized novels only in Victorian times? How does digital world embrace serialized publications? Our guest Swara Shukla will take us on a journey across her research subject of Wattpad and serialized publications. Stay tuned! Follow Swara here https://www.linkedin.com/in/swarashukla/?originalSubdomain=de Follow us on ⁠Instagram https://www.instagram.com/codexmachina?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== ⁠TikTok⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@codexmachinapodcast/video/7496558590010871073?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7477588222714463766 ⁠YouTube⁠ https://youtube.com/shorts/AOdLC1GoobA?feature=share for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
May 26, 2025 · 37 min
Strange Land Book Club 2 with Swara Shukla
In this episode we talk to our first guest Swara Shukla about books she is reading. In the next episode Swars will share her research nto Wattpad and contemporary serialization! In this episode: I want to die but I want to eat tteokbokki (Baek Se-hee), How to Kill Your Family (Bella Mackie), What Readers Do (Beth Driscoll), The One Month Boyfriend (Roxie Noir), Out (Natsuo Kirino) and some others!This is episode 2 of our Strange Land Book Club series. Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠ for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E3
May 12, 2025 · 53 min
Unfinished book series - Are you still waiting?
How do you feel when your favourite book series stops coming out? The story isn't finished and you might have to wait for years. Even this wait might be in vain. What can a reader do in such a desperate situation? Listen to find out. Visit us on Instagram, YouTube or TikTok Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E2
Apr 27, 2025 · 28 min
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - Strange Land Book Club 1
This episode features our rubric Making Book History (some AI shenanigans from Inkitt) and of course a discussion of Piranesi - a novel that touched us deeply and irrevocably. This is episode 1 of our Strange Land Book Club series. Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast! Intro music by Leonardo Granados
S1 · E1
Apr 21, 2025 · 48 min
Frankfurt Book Fair 2024
We begin this podcasting journey with one of the biggest bookish events of the year - Frankfurt Book Fair! In this episode in our rubric Making Book History we talk about Margaret Atwood and mainsplainers of Twitter. We share our impressions of the book fair (we tried to keep it short, I swear!) and compile some highlights of our visit. Join Laura, Bethany and Natalia on this bookish journey! Intro music by Leonardo Granados Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠ for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast!
S1 · E1
Apr 21, 2025 · 32 sec
Trailer
Welcome to Codex Machina, where we talk about book history, book publishing, and reading experiences! Intro music by Leonardo Granados Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠YouTube⁠ for more pictures and videos of all things books that we discuss in the podcast!

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