I’m popping by today . . . to entice you to sink your teeth into our latest Read With Us book selection . . .
The Antidote, by Karen Russell.
The Antidote is a complex and fascinating book. It elegantly weaves together historical fiction and magical realism. Now that’s kind of an odd mix of genres, but it works! This blending of historical events with speculative and fantasy elements really makes the story . . . pop! It’s a kind of Dust Bowl history layered with allusions of The Wizard of Oz and The Book of Job.
I know.
It sounds weird.
I read the book at the beginning of the summer, and I still haven’t figured out a way to actually describe what it’s about. Everything I say about the book sounds . . . weird. And not very appealing, somehow. But if you approach the book knowing that you’re going to learn a lot about pieces of American history you likely don’t know already . . . in a way that will make your head explode a little bit . . . well, you might have an easier time with it.
There’s a lot going on in this book . . . witchcraft and land loss and basketball and dust storms and farming and photography and collective memories and murder and . . . well. What DOESN’T it have, y’know?
The bottom line? I want you all to read this book so we can talk about it together! (There will be MUCH to discuss!) I’m sure some of you will like it a lot, and some of you will . . . not. But that’s what makes a book group discussion so interesting.
The Antidote is currently available on Amazon in hardback ($17.34), Kindle ($14.99), and audio (Audible 1 credit). The book and audiobook are generally available through local libraries and Libby, although availability and wait times vary.
Our book discussion day for The Antidote is Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Bonny, Carole, and I will each post discussion questions on our blogs that day, and then – later in the evening (7:00 pm Eastern time zone) – we’ll be hosting a live book discussion/meet-up on Zoom. If you’d like to join the Zoom (and we’d really love it if you do) please let me know in the comments or send me an email with your confirmation (there’s a link in sidebar or on the Read With Us page).
I’ve just updated the Read With Us page . . . to include all kinds of information about our selection, The Antidote. You’ll be able to find synopses, information about the author, links to reviews and interviews, and a really helpful character list. The author also includes comprehensive resources in the Acknowledgment section of the book, so be sure to check that out, too.
Settle in this fall. Curl up with an interesting book, and . . .
Read With Us!
I am in the queue for it at my library! It sounds like a very curious book! (and I love highly discussable books!!)
I took this book out from my library in the Spring, but could not get into it. Because I have SO MANY Audible credits, I may listen to it instead of reading. The only downside is that when I listen to an audio book I remember far less of it than when I read with my eyes.
This is a timely reminder for me to unsuspend my hold in Libby soon so that I can get this read. I’m looking forward to it!
I unsuspended my Libby hold and had the audiobook the day after I did that. But I also learned that I don’t think audio is going to be the way for me to read this book. I couldn’t keep track of things very well, so now I just have to wait for my unsuspended Kindle hold so I can eye read it. There’s no way around it; it does sound weird, but in a very interesting way!