S&L Podcast - #490 - Cosy Adjacent

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Are we living in a Maas society? Veronica has recommendations in joining on the Sarah J. Maas train. Independent bookstores are on the rise. We kick off The Sword of Kaigen and give our spoilery thoughts on Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Chicken Wings and Mushroom Alfredo Gnocchi
Veronica: Matcha


QUICK BURNS

Seth: NPR book critics reveal what they're looking forward to this summer, and there's a lot of speculative stuff in there, like.

Chris K: Via Locus: 2023 Aurealis Award Winners (best in Australian speculative fiction)

Mark: 200 new independent bookstores in 2023 and 190 more opening in the next two years. Who's doing all this readingMark: From

Joe Abercrombie "It’s now less than a year until the release of The Devils, and I am delighted to reveal its cover(s). In the US:"

Mark: John Scalzi has finished a new book called "When the Moon Hits Your Eye"


BARE YOUR SWORD

Trike: Great Danes are among several regional breeds known as boarhounds. Apparently they were *a* boarhound, not *the* boarhound. I didn’t find an explanation of why Great Danes become the most popular version of the boarhounds.

Photos of Great Danes from the 1800s show them as ancestors to the modern dogs, but not yet in the form we know them today. Which makes sense. Most breeds back in the day had a lot of regional variation, and modern styles hadn’t yet taken over entire lines.

John (Taloni) On the subject of real-world places that sound like they're made up (like Ljosland) it made me flash on Dark Side of the Moon: "...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad."

Seré:
Thanks for Book Briefing. This will serve as a palette cleanser to the Sarah J Maas tunnel I'm currently excavating (i.e I took a look to investigate the fuss and well, I fell in).Veronica notes that Terpkristin is ALSO now reading ACOTAR so I guess I've set us on this path lol


BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

KICK OFF
The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story" by M. L. Wang.

WRAP UP
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Amazon Link
Go forth? How about first?

John Taloni
Tying our last two picks together, (definitely a spoiler) what is it with the sudden proposals of marriage? Altho in this case Wendell is more clear as to the reason for his attraction. Emily is smart, more knowledgable about Fae than the Fae themselves, fearless, strategic, and would make a great queen as well as companion on his quest to get back to his throne. I'm afraid, tho, that at the point of the proposal it is really all about his needs. He doesn't show a full understanding of Emily yet.


ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks

S&L Podcast - #489 - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Veronicas

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We have Locus Award and Arthur C. Clarke award nominees. We share our non-spoilery thoughts on Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. And Tom discovers Birria Ramen!

Download directly here!

WHAT ARE WE NOMMING?

Tom: Del Taco Birria Ramen
Veronica: Nacho pretzels


QUICK BURNS

Chris K - Via Locus: 2024 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists

Jan: Variety reports that Warner Bros. Is set to Release a new ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movie called ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ in 2026, with Peter Jackson to Produce and Andy Serkis to Direct

crochetchrisie📚

Short list for Arthur c Clarke award 2024 - given to the best science fiction novel first published in the U.K. of the following year, has been announced.

winner will be announced on July 24, 2024

BARE YOUR SWORD

Trike: What happens in my house when Tom rings a bell during the podcast signifying someone covered a square in S&L Bingo:

This also counts as “Trike posts another photo of his dogs”. :p"


Veronica wrote: "omg the picture in the background, I need a close up!"

Trike: We call it “Monkey Pug”. One of Mrs. Trike’s very first purchases from the then-new eBay.

It’s a real litmus test for visitors, because it is framed beautifully by my friend Steve (the frame cost more than the painting) and it occupies a prominent wall space by itself, so we talk about it like it’s the Mona Lisa just to see how they react. No one is sure whether we’re serious or not.

It’s a chimp dressed like a queen holding a pug in a onesie. Of course this is serious art!

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Amazon Link

The Problem with Pastiche

tilltab: An Intrusion (spoilers for up to 29th October):

Lauren

Emily references a number of stories from other lands in her footnotes. I have a sense that these are real stories from other cultures that exist in our world. Do you recognize them?

I am currently studying Manx Gaelic and we are reading a book of Manx Fairy Tales. I remember that Emily mentions a story from the Isle of Man in a footnote somewhere. I am listening to the audiobook and can't easily find it - does anyone have the ebook and can easily search for it and remind me of the story she references from the Manx?

I would like to see if I can find it in this book I'm reading. I'll post the story here if it exists.

ADDENDUMS

Our show is currently entirely funded by our patrons. Thank you to all the folks who back our show and if you would like to support the show that way head to patreon.com/swordandlaser

You can also support the show by buying books through our links! Find links to the books we talk about and some of our favorites at swordandlaser.com/picks