Welcome to Literary Friction. I'm Octavia Bright here in London with my friend Carrie,

who's down the line from Oxford. I can't say it any other way now. I realized I'm like,

I was trying and it's done. So that's how it goes. How are you doing Carrie down the line from Oxford Plit? Well, I'm here down the line, Octavia, in Oxford. I'm good. Spring is springing.

I think I said that last time, but now it's really springing. And we've had some nice bouts of weather.

Just love spring in the UK, I have to say. I think it's the best time of year here. So I'm a happy bunny. How about you?

Similarly, although I am already anxious now about the passing of spring.

Oh no. Octavia. I had this moment. I live in the moment. I do, but then it's the magnolias that get me because they are so exquisite and they are so rarely there, you know?

And I was walking past one that's near my house the other day and all of the petals have started to fall.

I'm sure there's like a German word for it, you know, that like end of spring anxiety that comes when you see all of this

wild beauty and it starts to receive. And I felt this kind of very profound melancholy that I

associate with spring. Like I find it quite a high and low, high and low period of the of the year.

I mean, all periods of the year like that for me, but I think spring quite acutely. Yeah, well, it's very dramatic. It's very dramatic. And yeah, the Magnolia's, I get a lot of magnolia anxiety as well because I'm so excited for them to come out, but you don't really know when it's going to happen. And then I was away in Paris and, you know, when they were all blooming and I was really stressed out that I was going to come back and they're all going to be like past their prime. I do. I do really get it. So yeah, I'm fine. Great. Well, before we get into it, let's get business out of the way. If you like, you can support us on Patreon by subscribing

at patreon.com slash lit friction. You will also get access to an extra minisode each month.

There are now 27 waiting for you there and have the chance to suggest themes. And actually,

our Patreon this month, which will be out next week, is a little bit of an extension of this minisode.

We're going to be talking specifically about Paris, which is a city that is important to both

of us and one of our patrons asked us to discuss. And there's another exciting business announcement.

As you probably know, Octavia's book is coming out this June, and Bookshop.org wanted to offer our listeners a special deal.

So, Octavia, can you tell us more about it?

I sure can.

It's a really amazing thing.

I'm incredibly happy to announce that this ragged grace has been selected as the Bookshop.org book of the month for June, which is just incredible. And it also

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