Whew, it is really summer, isn’t it? And I’m welcoming guest second chair Claire Rousseau to share our Summer 2020 book previews, natter on about our quarantine media, and review NK Jemisin’s latest novel The City We Became. (Spoilers, I loved it, with one reservation that was emotionally big but tiny in the scope of the book.) Claire is a longtime friend, a recent Hugo finalist, and enthusiastic reader of SF, so I feel very lucky to have her on. Unless something goes awry, Whiskey Jenny should be back next time, which will also be lovely! You can listen to…
Leave a CommentReading the End Posts
OR: Elisabeth House, by Catherine Thomas, which is what I kept calling this book in my mind. Also sometimes Catherine Thomas, by Elisabeth House. Elisabeth and Catherine are both very lovely saint names that I would totally name a child, and this engendered confusion in my quarantine-fogged mind. Ines has gotten a second chance in the form of acceptance to Catherine House, a nontraditional, highly exclusive private university with a specialty in the mysterious “new materials.” All tuition, fees, and housing are paid, but students must agree to give themselves up entirely to Catherine House for the three years of…
Leave a CommentWhen Lena Johnson’s beloved grandmother dies, and the full extent of the family debt is revealed, the black millennial drops out of college to support her family and takes a job in the mysterious and remote town of Lakewood, Michigan. The discoveries made in Lakewood, Lena is told, will change the world—but the consequences for the subjects involved could be devastating. As the truths of the program reveal themselves, Lena learns how much she’s willing to sacrifice for the sake of her family. Look, let me quickly spoil the gist of this review for y’all. Lakewood! Is! So! Creepy! The…
Leave a CommentIn case you’re thinking “hey where are all the JK Rowling sucks links in this links round-up,” the answer is that I am furious with her and so I have saved all of those links for last. In case you are not sure why I am saying JK Rowling sucks, the answer is that she said a bunch of nakedly transphobic things on Twitter and then when people were like “whoa that’s so transphobic” she wrote a like 3500-word manifesto about why trans people are bad, actually. So. Hell with her. She is an asshole. I never liked ironic detachment.…
Leave a CommentWhilst I continue to dearly miss Whiskey Jenny, I am delighted to welcome Book Riot’s Alice Burton to chat with me about nonfiction, a genre Whiskey Jenny rarely reads! (When I am on a hiatus, Whiskey Jenny can do a series of mystery novel podcasts without me.) We build a nonfiction starter pack for nonfiction newbies, and chat about some of the nonfiction we’re particularly excited for in the back half of the year. You can listen to the podcast in the embedded player below, or download it directly to take with you on the go! Episode 131 Here are…
Leave a CommentTavia and Effie are sisters — not by blood, but in every way that matters. Both of them badly need the support and love of a sister. Like her late grandmother, Tavia is a siren. But the world, not to mention Tavia’s father, dislikes and distrusts sirens, and Tavia lives in fear of her secret being discovered. Meanwhile, Effie was long ago the only survivor of a terrifying incident in a Portland park, and she has begin to fear that the incident is coming back for her. After a few years of hearing about — but not being able to…
Leave a CommentI named my links round-up after the first link in the bunch because if I named it after the last link I would cry. This is a horrible week, and I haven’t been able to do much reading yet of the no-doubt-terrific analysis that folks are doing on the situation in Minneapolis. In lieu of that, I’ll just link to the bail fund and encourage folks to donate. I also very much encourage you to call your secretaries of state and ask them to enable expanded mail-in voting for future elections. This country. Anyway. Some links! Here are so, so…
Leave a CommentAttentive listeners will notice this is NOT the podcast in which we review Quan Berry’s book We Ride Upon Sticks, and also that one of us Jennys is absent from it. Whiskey Jenny is taking a short podcast break (everything is fine! she just needed a pause!), but since we both want you to have cheery quarantine content to enjoy, I am pressing on, with the assistance of some kind and helpful guest hosts. Today I’m welcoming Friend of the Podcast Renay to chat about the media we’re consuming in quarantine, how the heck to recommend comfort reads effectively, and…
Leave a CommentWelp, the end of another week is upon us. Is the weekend a punishment or a reward, or neither? What distinguishes our days, if we can’t even go to the goddamn library? (Oh my God I miss the library.) (I don’t want the library to reopen until it can do so in a way that’s safe for library workers; I just miss it.) I have a plan to mark the passage of time by making a new batch of frozen breakfast burritos. This seems fine, but do you remember the time Before when a person could go out to a…
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