In this episode, Vee rationalises that she's reading a spooky Halloween book because all fantasy, if you think about it, is an exploration of the Other. Right? And what is Halloween but a showcase of those things that we avoid and reject and therefore become afraid of? Am I convincing anyone? Probably not. &nbsp; A Dreamer's Tales by Lord Dunsany (Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany) is a unique exploration of both that otherworldly fantasy that lifts you out of the familiar and yet, at the same time, the fantasy that lives in the mundane. But it's also over a century old, so don't expect anything modern. Jess reads The Girl He Used To Know by Tracey Garvis Graves, a romance about a neurodivergent protagonist (gasp!) that takes place over two decades. Does this fit the Halloween vibe? Sure.... since it... explores the perspective of someone outside of what society considers typical, and thus someone who's likely to be othered and treated like a ghost! Bam, October read, right there.&nbsp; And for anyone interested, here's the essay about how Twilight is, and always will be, a disastrous series: https://archiveofourown.org/works/721993/chapters/1339216

Book Rant

Of course this is our Halloween episode...

So, this happened.Back in episode 8, Jess read A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, the second (and most popular) book in her A Court of Thorn of Roses series. She specifically did not recommend the book to Vee and told her that she wouldn’t like it.&nbsp;But then Vee went ahead and read the series, because torturing herself by reading books she doesn’t like is a particularly fun hobby of hers.&nbsp;And thus this episode was born. An entire rant and discussion about our unfiltered emotions and opinions surrounding the ACOTAR series.&nbsp;There will be lots of spoilers, there will be some inebriation, and there will be faerie smut.&nbsp;Also. Okay. We aren’t the most coherent in this episode. We repeat a lot of things. We forget what we’re talking about halfway through a thought. We’re not good at the speaking thing. Have fun with it.&nbsp;

Jess & Vee (Incoherently) Discuss: A Court of Thorns and Roses

In our most incoherent, tangental, sleep deprived, and overall nonsensical episode yet, we delve into two very different YA books and how they impact the way we read. Jess rants about the trash fire that is Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer, which recounts the events of the first Twilight book from the perspective of Edward Cullen who, let's he honest, is a creepy serial killer. (sorry to any Twilight fans out there, but maybe sit this episode out or, like, you know, read better books that don't romanticize stalkers and their misogynistic thoughts). No spoilers, just honest opinions, because Jess could barely get through 25% of the book. DNF'ed and proud of it. Vee gushes about Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo because all of the emotions the book gave her hadn't yet made their way into coherent thoughts. It's a great first book in a duology, and if you haven't heart the hype around it, yet, then don't waste your time and just go straight to reading the book because it's intriguing, has wonderful world building, and is perfectly paced.&nbsp; We talk Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey, Anne Rice, Dracula, V.E. Schwab, and what makes a good vampire story according to us.&nbsp;

A Love Letter to Stephenie Meyer

Do you ever have that thing happen where you pick up a book and it's just what you wanted to read at that exact moment? Yeah. That's what happened when Vee read A Sense of the Mysterious by Alan Lightman, a wholeheartedly human book about the artful balance between science and the practice of it.&nbsp; Jess talks about (via audiobook, because AUDIOBOOKS ARE BOOKS) Stay Sexy &amp; Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark (we may have forgotten to mention their names, but like, who doesn't know them by now? amiright? probably not), a part memoir, part advice book, part who even cares because it's as funny and relatable as their podcast, My Favorite Murder.&nbsp; TW: rape P.S. It wasn't directly said in the podcast, but since Carl Sagan was mentioned it needs to be reiterated: Contact is the best.&nbsp;

Stay Sexy and Read Books

The universe may have attempted to stop us from getting this episode to you, but we did it. Might be a week late, but here you have it, anyways. Maybe we were cursed by the same witches who tried to hex the moon? Anyways. Jess gushes about the historical mystery with a soupçon of thriller energy that is Kate Morton's The Lake House. Elements of Atonement and Diane Setterfield meet in this trans-century murder mystery. Vee talks about reading High Fantasy in the midst of Black Lives Matter with A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, a coming-of-age fantasy about confronting your own shadow and upholding balance. Oh, and fuck She Who Must Not Be Named.

This Episode is Cursed

As two white people living in Canada, we have a lot to (un)learn in regards to racism. About our history, about how we are complicit in white supremacy, about how to help - and even about how to (un)learn without centring ourselves or our whiteness. And because of the wealth of information offered in books about Black Lives Matter and why this movement needs to exist, we've decided to using reading as one of our many tools in becoming anti-racist. This episode, Vee reads Me And White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad, and Jess reads Write Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. We have a lot left to unravel, and a lot yet to learn. Let's all do the work to ensure that Black lives matter.&nbsp;

Learning to be Anti-Racist

Because we value bringing you a diverse selection of books, we present to you nothing less than a YA fantasy and a chicken how-to guide.&nbsp; Jess reads Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young, a YA fantasy about family and, well, common enemies, marinaded in a flavourful dose of all things viking. Vee reads CHICKENS IN YOUR BACKYARD: A Beginner's Guide by Gail Damerow and Rick Luttman. Ever wanted to know what a wattle was? Read this book. Want to know more about attaching saddles to your hen to facilitate rooster sex? It's in this book! Want to know how to raise, kill, pamper, cook, show, or basically do anything with or to chickens? Read this book. Read it even if you don't have chickens. But maybe don't read it if chickens scare you.&nbsp;

Chickens Are So Weird

Vee breaks in her first audiobook experience with a book that she’s been reading out loud for years, anyways: The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, narrated by Rob Inglis.&nbsp;And Jess breaks into something other than a book…: the newly released essay by Caroline Calloway, “I Am Caroline Calloway.” Yes, it’s dramatic and kind of a dumpster fire of a scene, but sometimes you just gotta read what you wanna read. And this essay was it.Content warning for suicide.&nbsp;

The Conversation Resumes

In a strange turn of events (that we are blaming entirely on this being episode number thirteen), neither Jess or Vee finished the books they wanted to read for this episode - but by no fault of the books themselves.&nbsp; Jess read half of Love &amp; Luck by Jenna Evans Welch (and plans to finish it soon - no DNFs here), and Vee almost finished Winter by Ali Smith (and has already finished it by the release of this episode!). We talk a lot about reading for deadlines, book clubs, and introduce a change to the way we do this podcast!&nbsp; Because guess what: we'll be a monthly podcast from now on, so expect us in your inboxes on the third Thursday of every month!

It's Not You, It's Me

Vee finally releases the hold that The Glass Sentence (by S.E. Grove) has had on her mind for nearly a year and finishes a DNF! Who would have even thought that possible. Middle grade books are just not her thing, despite the time-bending narrative and wonderful world building that this book has to offer.And Jess talks about not just one, but two oposite-of-queerbating graphic novels: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang, a fairy tale love story that explores beyond the gender binary, and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki, a queer coming of age novel that uncovers the nuances of toxic relationships.&nbsp;We also talk chickens, reading fatigue, Neko Atsume, queer narratives, badly written books, going back to books you enjoyed as a child, doughnuts, art style, happy endings…Hey, if you’re still reading this, why not leave us a review :)

Not A Roast, But A Slow Braise

In this episode, Jess and Vee celebrate two talented black authors for Black History Month! Jess talks about Pride by Ibi Zoboi, a modern black and latinx retelling of one of her favourite books, Pride &amp; Prejudice. Of note: Jess listened to the Pride audiobook, narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo! Vee gushes over the power that is Marlon James' Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star #1), a reimagining of what fantasy should feel like. Because fantasy should feel more diverse - and feel more magical.&nbsp; We also ramble on about magic systems, audiobook listening, drinking like Gilmore Girls, reading chairs (yes, we're still talking about that), and a whole lot more that you'll find out if you actually listen to the episode. So, go ahead and listen. Stop reading this.&nbsp;

What Fantasy Should Be

Vee talks about the adorable and emotionally bewildered phenomenon that is Geralt of Rivia in The Last Wish (The Witcher #0.5) by Andrzej Sapkowski, and finds surprising parallels to our modern climate - despite it having been published nearly 30 years ago!&nbsp;And Jess raves about the teenage perspective of rape, assault, and justice in The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis. Alex is definitely not someone to be trifled with.. but at what cost to herself? As per usual: spoilers ahoy!As different as these two books seem, they share a common thread in offering lessons in how to navigate the world we currently live in.CW: rape, sexual assault, murder

Toss a Coin to Your Badass

Fresh from the front lines of the Polish Appreciation Club, we bring you our Naomi Novik and Witcher extravaganza episode, in which we talk about how amazing the new Witcher show is and share our love (and criticism) about two of Naomi Novik's bestsellers.&nbsp; Jess reads Spinning Silver, Novik's most recent standalone novel about a young moneylender who becomes entangled in the world of magic and winter faeries. Vee talks about Uprooted, another standalone by Novik that won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2016 because of its stunning portrayal of magic, misunderstanding, familiarity, and... not so much romance, but we get into that!&nbsp; Other rambles include character arcs, bad romance, magical magic systems, rules of magic, surprising endings, and representation.&nbsp;

The Naomi Novik Polish Pierogi Special

Welcome to our most off the wall, uninhibited, nonsensical and rant-fuelled episode yet. I mean, we’ve gotta live up to the “Rant” in our name somehow, right?Vee breaks in the new year with the worst book she’s ever had the joy of reading, Three Princes by Ramona Pierce, and Jess gushes about her favourite faerie smut, A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas.&nbsp;Rants include fluffy misogyny, the importance of caring about characters when revelations are dropped on the reader, consensual character relationships, and why we read. Also lots of uncontrollable laughing.&nbsp;

Why We Read

Year in Books: 2019

A podcast for bookish people, opinionated by bookish people. Because ranting is what book clubs are missing.

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Book Rant

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