S&L Podcast - #327 - Real Housewives of the Aegean

/

Why we think Amazon may have been cribbing off us,  the reality TV connection to ancient Greece, and the raging 2X audiobook debate speeds along.

Download directly here.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Maui Brewing Co. Big Swell

Veronica: Basil Hayden Bourbon

QUICK BURNS

AndrewP: Amazon just posted a list of '100 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime'. Lot's of good stuff on there and I must be representative of their market as I have read 75 of the 100.

Victoria: Not sure how serious this is, but apparently someone is trying to trademark 'Dragon Slayer' - there's an article from Cory Doctorow about it here. I want someone to write 'The Cocky Dragon Slayer' now.

Trike: SFF book sales have doubled since 2010

John (Taloni) John Scalzi has finished the followup to The Collapsing Empire called Consuming Fire

BARE YOUR SWORD

Hello Awesome People!

Listened to S&L this week, talking about 2x speed. Over the years, I went from 1 to 1.5 and now I listen to everything at 2x speed. This includes audio books. The only way I’m able to listen to podcasts and audio books at this speed is because I’ve adapted to it over the years. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything because I listen to my audio books when I’m walking as I am completely focused on what I’m listening to. By listening at 2x I’m able to blow through books, and it keeps me walking at a fast pace.

Here’s is a mostly complete list of books I read in 2017 (45 total)

I’m halfway through 2018 and am already at 30 books…

Have a great day!

Cheers
Stephen Schleicher from MajorSpoilers

From Jenna: Fellow listeners of @swordandlaser: are you really speeding up books and podcasts?! Why!? You're dying at the same time. Listen to the stories/words in the voice recording them. You're at a campfire. Voice, inflection, timing is art. rushing is for people who believe in heaven.

Chell on Patreon
Oh man listening to audiobook at normal speed RUINS them for me. I could never listen to them at normal speed. Narrators just read too slowly and it drives me insane. I can't focus on the words or enjoy them. I don't often go up to 2x (unless I am at a super exciting part and just want to hear what happens) but I tend to listen to it to things at 1.5x.

Kelvin on Patreon
I basically only listen to audio-books so does that mean I have to slow down. my card does a good job of telling me that! can't wait for tom's new Audio book. can we get a short section or chapter. . . I like to listen at the normal speed but can only listen at 1.5 max, 2.0 just seems garbage. I thought harpies were the bird women and sirens were like mermaids. I agree with TOM eg spoiler alert and Veronica's singing was great. wonderful show as usal.

Help me find a book from my childhood?

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Circe by Madeline Miller

Book Briefing

Circe: The Real Housewives of the Aegean

Circe Readers Questions

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 - #326 - Slow Down, Readers!

/

A database of all the stories, Stranger Things enters the tie-in book world, a debate about speed-listening, and what Veronica REALLY thinks about Zeus.

Download directly here.

WHAT WERE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Strongbow Cider

Veronica: Una Lou Rosé

QUICK BURNS

Stranger Things Is Launching a Book Franchise, including a Prequel About Eleven's Mom

Jessica: The FIREFLY crew returns in a brand new book series “Titan Books and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products have teamed up to publish a new series of official titles within the Firefly canon, with Joss Whedon serving as consulting editor” The first book, Firefly: Big Damn Hero, by Nancy Holder hits shelves in October

Dara: Not SFF-related but the outcome of this could have genre-wide impacts. For anyone not following along, the romance world has been in disarray because an author trademarked the word "cocky" and now using it as a cudgel against her fellow authors, threatening them with lawsuits and forcing them to change their book titles. The EFF has a rundown of events.

Can you imagine if someone trademarked "galaxy" or "space station" or "sword"? The outcome of this case will have far-reaching ramifications.

Meghan: Mortal Engines is getting the big screen treatment by Peter Jackson. 
Didn't see it on the S&L Bookshelf but it has been discussed a couple of times as a SF rec

Tomp: Fantasy Author Brandon Sanderson Teams With FremantleMedia North America To Develop TV Drama Series.

Mer: I attended a presentation by Dr. David Brin -part of a series of science lectures hosted by the Museum of Science Fiction in the District of Columbia area- and he mentioned a database he's founded (in conjunction with The Arthur C Clarke Center for Human Imagination at University of California at San Diego) where science fiction plots are stored in a database. The intent is businesses/organizations/scientists don't have to reinvent the wheel; use the database to look for similar ideas by authors / screenwriters, and then use the already existing research to inform their work.

Folks like us can provide references to authors / screenwriters / stories for questions that have been asked.

The database and website is here TASAT: There's A Story About That.

BARE YOUR SWORD

Audiobook speed read

Kindle (and other ebooks!) Daily Deal

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Circe by Madeline Miller

Book Briefing

Circe: spoiled by mythology?

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 - #325 - Mythology Ideology

/

We're very excited about the Expanse coming back and Gail Carriger's plans and that the "What are we drinking" segment got a good review! Plus the different takes on mythology from our two latest book picks.

Download directly here.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Baron de Lustrac, Armagnac Limited edition

Veronica: Bulleit

QUICK BURNS

Silvana: Congratulations to Nebula Award winners:

No surprise for both novel and novella categories. I just read the short story winner and I love it!

John (Taloni): Gail Carriger's "How To Marry A Werewolf" is now out. This is one of a series of novella's Gail is putting out herself. They are all set in the timeframe of the Parasol Protectorate books and feature secondary characters from those work

Nokomis.FL: Was surprised to see that Dennis E. Taylor, who wrote We Are Legion, We Are Bob (The Bobiverse), has a new book coming out in June 5 called The Singularity Trap. Surprised also to only see it listed as an Audible audiobook, no Kindle or dead tree version listed. Usually it's the other way around. Anyway, it's a new series, which is good though I would have preferred a sequel to Outland, his first book in the World Line series. Edit: Now I know that 'Audible Exclusive' really is exclusive, not just to the format.

Dara: George R. R. Martin's short story The Ice Dragon is getting adapted into an animated film

Scott: Jonathan Maberry's book 'V-Wars' is getting a Netflix adaptation series starring CW's The Vampire Diaries - Ian Somerhalder

Silvana: It is done deal, The Expanse has been saved.
The recent fans campaign has truly been awesome and I am glad it paid off. Here's to six more seasons! 🥂

ALSO from Nokomis.FL: The team of James S.A. Corey are writing a new space opera trilogy.

Silvana: RIP Gardner Dozois
I only started reading short fiction and anthologies a few years ago but I am already feeling the loss.

Kenley: Shout out for S&L in Library Journal, the most trusted and respected publication for the library community. The article is about podcasts in general and includes a plug in the section on fantasy and scifi. I've included the entire section here because it may be of interest too (second paragraph is on S&L).

Sword & Laser is a long-running literary sf/f podcast hosted by Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt. They not only highlight current reading picks but also present a very active companion discussion forum on Goodreads and run an ongoing sf/f book club alternating between the two genres. (Belmont also cohosts the Vaginal Fantasy book club with Felicia Day featuring romance novels by female authors.) Bonus: learn what the hosts are drinking each episode.

BARE YOUR SWORD

 

Lindskold, author of The Firekeeper Saga: "One of the projects I’ve been working on over these past many months is putting together new editions of the Firekeeper e-books. Through Wolf’s Eyes; Wolf’s Head, Wolf’s Heart; The Dragon of Despair; Wolf Captured; Wolf Hunting, and Wolf’s Blood are all now available in new editions for both mobi and epub formats from Amazon/Kindle; Nook; Kobo; i-Tunes, and GooglePlay."

Digital public libraries

BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION

Circe by Madeline Miller

Book Briefing

Reading Glasses Circe Live Stream: Join Brea and Mallory as they discuss Madeline Miller's Circe LIVE! Ask questions and join the discussion! June 5 from 6pm to 7pm PST.

WRAP UP

Night's Master (Tales from the Flat Earth) by Tanith Lee

ADDENDUMS

Tom needs your preorders! He's 75% of the way to having a sequel to Pilot X funded with just two weeks left to fund. So take a look and preorder a book!

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