Transcript / LoLT: Adorable Cozy Games and Three New Books — 22 November 2024

This is a transcription of LoLT: Adorable Cozy Games and Three New Books — 22 November 2024

[cheerful music]

Melissa: Coming up, two new books featuring female dynamic duos.

David: A thriller set in the world of board games.

Melissa: Plus, our distraction of the week. I’m Mel.

David: I’m Dave. This is the library of lost time. Before we get started, Happy Thanksgiving to our friends in the States! We will not be releasing a new episode next week, because we will be busy thinking about delicious things to eat. And people we are grateful for. We are going to re-release Mel’s reading of ‘Home for the Holidays’ on Tuesday. We will have another Library of Lost Time out on Friday December 6th.

Melissa: Today I want to tell you about two new adventure novels that feature unlikely female friendships. One is set in a shadowy version of Paris at the turn of the 20th century. The other is a sunny romp through 1958 Europe.

Melissa: bottom layer is Dracula mythology, the next layer is Sherlock Holmes lore, and the entire thing is slathered in yummy Gothic frosting. The action opens in 1903 — at the field office of The Royal Society for the Study of Abnormal Phenomena. That’s where we meet our first heroine: Samantha Harker. If you’ve read the original ‘Dracula,’ you probably recognize her last name. Sam is the daughter of the man who killed Count Dracula. She studies unusual events while keeping a big secret: She can see into the minds of monsters. When a rash of murders strikes Paris, Sam uses her unique skills to help solve them. She teams up with Dr. Helena Moriarty. She’s the daughter of Sherlock Holmes’ arch-rival, Professor Moriarty. The girls’ hijinks take them all over Paris, including posh social clubs and the eerie catacombs. The story combines penny dreadful thrills with a sapphic romance and paranormal adventure along gaslit streets. This feels like a perfect book for a cold, gloomy November evening. It’s ‘Strange Beasts’ by Susan J. Morris.

Melissa: On the opposite end of the spectrum is ‘The Starlets’ by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne. This one is set among sunny, sexy cities in Europe in 1958. Our first heroine Vivienne is delighted. She’s just been cast in a big-budget sword-and-sandal film called ‘A Thousand Ships.’ It’s shooting on an Italian island. What could be better? But when she arrives, she learns her nemesis Lottie, aka America’s sweetheart, aka fiancé-stealer [DAVE] — she learns that Lottie has landed the lead role, and our Vivienne is playing second fiddle.

Melissa: The tension on the set gets even thicker when the girls discover the production crew is in cahoots with the mob. The two actresses accidentally end up with damning evidence against the bad guys and go on the run. Their quest to reach the safety of Interpol takes them to Rome, casinos in Monaco, Grace Kelly’s palace, and a road trip through the Alps. ‘Publishers Weekly’ says the authors do not scrimp on action or sumptuous descriptions of France and Italy.

Melissa: I was so-so on this one until I realized that one of the co-authors also wrote a book I just read and LOVED. That one is ‘Diavola,’ and it’s completely different. It’s a haunted house story set in a luxurious vacation villa in Italy. The atmosphere is rich with dread, because of the supernatural haunting AND because of fraught, VERY realistic family dynamics. I’m excited to see how this author handles a sunnier but still dangerous Italy in ‘The Starlets.’

Melissa: So, to recap: The 1958 movie star crime caper is The Starlets by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne. The horror novel is Diavola by Jennifer Thorne. And going all the way back to the top, the Gothic fantasy is Stange Beasts by Susan J. Morris.

David: Marisha Pessl has a new book out. The publisher thinks you might recognize her from her book, ‘Night Film.’ But for me, she’s the author of ‘Special Topics in Calamity Physics.’ Both books are thrillers described as ‘intricate,’ ‘dark,’ ‘smart,’ and ‘fascinating.’

David: Her new book follows that path. It’s called ‘Darkly.’

David: The story starts with a board game designer, Louisiana Veda. In the 70s and 80s, Veda produced several board games that were elaborate, sinister, and maybe even dangerous. They’re released by her company Darkly. And now, Veda is dead, but her mysterious legacy lives on. The handmade prototypes of her early games sell for millions, even as her old company is collapsing.

David: The characters we follow into this world are seven interns. They’ve gathered from around the world to a private island where Veda’s games were produced, and where the mystery woman herself lived. There, they are told that they will be playing Veda’s last game — a game that was never released, perhaps because it was responsible for the death of one of the players.

David: This book is a little bit Agatha Christie, a little bit Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but with a grimmer core. Early reviews have been great. It comes out on Tuesday. It’s ‘Darkly’ by Marisha Pessl.

David: And now, our Distraction of the Week.

David: The last few years have seen an absolute explosion in the world of cozy computer gaming.

Melissa: What is cozy gaming?

David: Those are games that have a distinctly relaxing vibe. Typically there are no enemies to speak of, or timers counting down. There’s no winning or losing. You could have a nice cup of tea and play a cozy game. Famous examples include Animal Crossing, where you build and manage your own island — but you could include solitaire in cozy games. That has a win condition, but is that really why you play? It’s more about the process — bringing a little order to a world in turmoil. Cozy games might be closer to a toy than a game. But they’re still fun ways to pass the time.

David: I wanted to talk about a few of these games because, first, if you last played a computer game a while ago, or never, you might like them. Second, they’re interesting in their own right. It’s just fun to know these exist. Third, they all beat the heck out of doom scrolling.

David: So, I’m going to talk about three different cozy games from the last couple of years. Maybe one of these will speak to you.

David: The first — and the one everyone’s been talking about lately — is called ‘Tiny Glade.’ In Tiny Glade, you are given a field, and there you’re going to build a castle or maybe a village or a cottage. Someone described it as digital Lego. You build something from pre-existing parts. Two things make this really shine, though. First, are the controls. It’s really easy to plonk down a building, put some windows and doors on it, maybe build an arch or a trail, then add some trees and a pond. Bam! Cute little inn. The second thing that makes this game is the visuals. It’s so pretty. Every minute in this game looks like maybe a Pixar movie set in a French village in the 1800s. Tiny Glade animates while you’re building. So, leaves blow across the screen. A sheep wanders in. You can change the light to see your little village at night, maybe add some lanterns. The whole thing invites daydreaming about your perfect home. ‘“Tiny Glade’ is about $15, and it’s available on PC and Mac.

David: Next let’s talk about ‘A Little to the Left.’ ‘A Little to the Left’ is a game about making things tidy. You might get a bunch of leaves that need to go into a scrapbook. Or some shells that need to be put in order. Or a bunch of paper that needs to be stacked. Somehow, all of this is much more pleasing than having to do it in real life. I’m not sure why. Maybe because there’s an answer. It’s just a series of little organization puzzles; most of them have multiple answers. There’s no time limit. There’s an extensive clue system. This will probably appeal if you are even kind of on the neat spectrum. It’s ‘A Little to the Left,’ it’s about $15, and it’s available on Mac and PC.

David: Finally, there’s Oddada. It is a musical exploration game. In Oddada, you’re given a bunch of machines that make music. Most of them do not look like musical instruments, and you don’t need any background in music to play. You futz with the machines until you figure out how to get a sound that appeals to you out of them. Exploring the device is part of the fun. And the game doles out another machine. Eventually you’ve got a collection, and you can make a little musical piece. The game has a recorder and cassette where you can capture and trade your music with others. You can even customize the cassette- pick a color and put some stickers on it. It’s a very low-stress and pleasant way to explore making music. ‘Oddada’ is about $10, and it’s available on Mac and PC.

David: There are videos of all of these games. If you’re at all curious about any of these titles, check those out. Links are in the podcast descriptions.

David: Finally, if you know someone who’d like one of these games, there’s an online store called Steam. They’re the Amazon of computer games. And they have gift cards. Head over there, buy a gift card, and send it to a gamer you love, along with a note that says, ‘Hey, thought you might enjoy this.’ Someone did that for me last year, and I was quite grateful.

Melissa: Visit strongsenseofplace.com/library for more on the books we talked about today and all the info you need to have some fun with cozy videogames.

David: Thanks for joining us on the library of last time. Remember to visit your local library and your independent bookstore to lose some time yourself.

Melissa: Stay curious. We’ll talk to you soon.

[cheerful music]

Top image courtesy of Steam.