Look, here’s the thing. Let me tell you what the thing is. If you say “sci-fi retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo,” I am going to read that book even if I have to go to several different libraries to get it, which is how Influx, by Daniel Suarez, became one of the oldest books on my TBR spreadsheet, which is how I came to be reading it in the car on a recent road trip. (That’s not the thing.) Influx is about a man called Jon Grady who is such a Maverick that he invents a thing called…
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Happy Wednesday, and May the Fourth Be With You! We welcome back special guest star Ashley to discuss All the Birds in the Sky and have a wee showdown between books about science and books about magic. You can listen to the podcast in the embedded player below or download the file directly to take with you on the go! Episode 60 Get at me on Twitter, email the podcast, and friend me (Gin Jenny) and Whiskey Jenny on Goodreads. Or if you wish, you can find us on iTunes (and if you enjoy the podcast, give us a good rating!…
1 CommentOne day, Ajie’s older brother Paul leaves their home in Nigeria, and he never comes back. Ajie was the only one who saw him go. And After Many Days is about the loss of Paul and his presence in their family before he goes. I was reading it in between other things (you’ll be hearing about The Raven King on Monday) that frankly I cared about more, and nevertheless I thought And After Many Days was awfully good. It tells the story of a 1990s Nigerian family in a way that makes a faraway (from me) country in an increasingly faraway time feel…
21 CommentsIt’s Monday, and I had a smashing weekend! A good friend came to town so we got to break bread (and have some drinks) together and shoot the shit on Saturday. The bookstore had a surprise for me which I will share with you in a moment, although if you know me well or follow me on Twitter you can probably guess what it was. And I made French onion soup for the family on Sunday, and it came out excellent. Oh, I went to the library too. We don’t need to talk about that. I DO NOT HAVE A…
27 CommentsBefore I launch into a proper review of Oksana Marafioti’s American Gypsy, a word about terminology. Marafioti never discusses, in the course of her book, her use of the term gypsy. However, many many many Romani people consider it to be an ethnic slur; and when the word appears in the course of this book, it’s more often than not being thrown at Marafioti or at her family as an insult. So although Marafioti herself has said that she’s not opposed to the use of the term, I’m going to stick with Romani throughout this review. And so should you,…
24 CommentsHappy Wednesday, booklovers! We know you were psyched to hear about All the Birds in the Sky, but we’ve been unavoidably detained on that front. Instead, you get to hear our thoughts on two literary adaptations: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the new miniseries The Night Manager. We also take some shots at book-banners1 by way of the ALA’s Frequently Challenged Books of 2015 list. You can listen to the podcast in the embedded player below or download the file directly to take with you on the go. Episode 59 Get at me on Twitter, email the podcast, and friend…
2 CommentsIt’s Monday, April 18th, and I am doing my honest best to finish my library books and return them in a somewhat timely manner. I presently have 11 books out from my university library, plus one interlibrary loan, and 2 of those are ready to be returned. I have, yes okay, 27 books out from the public library BUT I am prepared to return 9 of those when I go on Saturday. So there. (I’m fine, I don’t have a problem. You saw that 11 of those, nearly a quarter, are set to be returned?) My main current book is…
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