Month of Joy: Book Reviews by Andrea Johnson
With the rise of book bloggers, semi-pro zines that feature book reviews, fanzines, and sites that fall somewhere in between, every few months this question shows up on social media: Who are book reviews for? The conversation often pops up after an author has made a boneheaded response to a review on a blog, or a particular new title is getting lots of positive or negative attention, or an author asks on twitter “Should I interact with bloggers who review my book #AskingForAFriend.”
Welcome to 2019: A Year of New Things (Podcastery, a Month of Joy, and Jen’s Delicious Tears)
2019! We’re finally here. Like you, we’re hoping it will be a good one. 2016 ended rough. 2017 was even worse. And 2018 was sort of like getting kicked in the teeth by the high school bully every single day. Whether you lost a loved one, your government lost its damn mind, or you tried desperately to keep your hopes up in yet another year of trashfires and horror, we know this last year has been just as tough on you as it has been on each of us. That’s why we tried to make 2018 a “Year of Hope.” Hopefully, our podcast was a little beacon of light in an otherwise dark abyss. Of course, 2018 wasn’t all bad. U.S.-Americans sent a message to the alt-right that y’all ain’t gonna keep this country for long. We got a new Star Wars movie (which Shaun says was absolutely kickass). There were some amazing books by old friends, new friends, and folks we haven’t met yet. Heck, 2019 was a year of phenomenal writing of all kinds. Plus, N.K. Jemisin won another Hugo Award (we’re temporarily renaming it the Jemisin is Awesomesauce Award). In a lot of ways, 2018 was a good year.
Torture Cinema #86: A Special Holiday Torture Cinema Adventure – The Christmas Dragon (2014)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFTortureCinema86TheChristmasDragon/Sandf-TortureCinema86-TheChristmasDragon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSDarkspawn, shiny noses, and a new sex term, oh my! This one is DEFINITELY NSFW folks! Somehow the team, comprised of Shaun, Jen, Paul, and Becca, managed to turn this family friendly film into a total raunch fest. Proceed with caution. You have been warned! As with every Holiday Special, the crew brings a heavy dose of absurd and downright silly comedy to an otherwise totally normal discussion of film. They list the virtues and miraculousness of eye-liner, tackle some racist fantasy tropes, rip into a few dropped plot-lines, and wander aimlessly through the confusing logic behind the dragons in a movie about Scottish Santa and his almost-Johnny-Depp son. We hope you enjoy the episode and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Signal Boost #49 – Steph Matuku (Flight of the Fantail) and Bethany C. Morrow (MEM)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost49MatukuMorrow/Sandf–SignalBoost49–MatukuMorrow.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS In today’s episode of Signal Boost, Elizabeth talks to Steph Matuku, author of the debut novel, Flight of the Fantail, and the children’s book, Whetū Toa and the Magician. Both are out from HUIA Publishers in New Zealand. The two talk about how Steph treated the environment as a character, the influence her Maori culture has on her books, how she was sponsored (and published!) through the Te Papa Tupu writing program, the tough reality of writing, and more! Then Jen reminisces about UCSC (GO SLUGS!) with author Bethany C. Morrow for hours and hours. Kidding! The two explore Bethany’s historical fantasy science fiction novel, MEM, her YA debut novel, A Song Below Water, and her upcoming YA anthology, Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance. They discuss the effect that omitting whiteness has upon a story, the importance of resistance to her writing, the sinister reality of west coast liberal racism, and much more. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Reading Rangers: Shorts #3 – Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ReadingRangersShorts3SolarpunkAnthology/ReadingRangersShorts3–SolarpunkAnthology.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSRangers Trish, Brandon, and Daniel are back this month to discuss the English translation of the Brazilian Anthology, Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World edited by Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro and translated by Fábio Fernandes. The anthology includes Brazilian and Portuguese stories by Carlos Orsi, Telmo Marçal, Romeu Martins, Antonio Luiz M. Costa, Gabriel Cantareira, Daniel I. Dutra, André S. Silva, Roberta Spindler, and Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro. The team discusses the anthology’s exploration of the political nuances of sustainable futures, the inevitability of political corruption, and the relationship between power and energy. The episode includes both a broad overview and specifics about each of the stories in the Anthology, so tune in and learn more about Brazilian concepts of a sustainable world! We hope you enjoy the episode!
At the Movies #72 – The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFAtTheMovies72ChristmasChronicles/Sandf-AtTheMovies72-ChristmasChronicles.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSCrime, creepy Gremlin elves, and Marxist critiques of late capitalism, oh my! It’s the holidays, and that means it’s time to wax lyrical about holiday movies. This year, Shaun, Paul, Alex, and Mike join forces to discuss the brand new smash hit, The Christmas Chronicles. They talk about Netflix’s approach to the holidays, the film’s treatment of Christmas and Santa, the terrors of bad CG, and the cliched sappiness that makes the holidays as good as a nice warm cup of cocoa! We hope you enjoy the episode!
