BBE Reads Fantasy
But She Usually Has To Be Talked Into It
On the Pod This Week:
Ah, the Fantasy genre.
Sometimes a dragon shows up and I think it’s the greatest thing ever. Sometimes a dragon shows up and I think what the everliving hell am I do with my one wild and precious life?
It depends on my mood, is what I’m saying.
I read very little Fantasy before the podcast. And with the exception of the ACOTAR series, I read very little fantasy on my own time now. But I’m still really grateful for the readers who have introduced me to some of their favorites within the genre.
Pay close attention to these episodes. More than any other genre, the readers of fantasy talk about healing from trauma when they read these books.
Alyssa Archer talked about“Deerskin” by Robin McKinley in Episode 031.
In Episode 037, author Lyz Kelley joined me to talk about “Magic’s Pawn” by Mercedes Lackey.
What’s your favorite fantasy book? I’d love some recommendations!
Julie’s Current Read:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This is a book that I was SO EXCITED to read that I accidentally pre-ordered two copies when it released in July of 2022.
Despite that incredible urgency to buy the book, I didn’t actually read it until now. This is despite the fact that every review I’ve read has been stellar and I’m an avowed fan of everything Gabrielle Zevin writes. I’ve even loaned out my copies to several friends, all of whom return it and say, “This was amazing! Why haven’t you read it yet?”
Julie’s Current Listen:
The great benefits of randomly browsing for books with no agenda in mind is that I always come across titles that aren’t on my radar. This is one such find:
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
Leah is changed. A marine biologist, she left for a routine expedition months earlier, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife Miri knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that the woman she loves is slipping from her grasp.
By turns elegiac and furious, wry and heartbreaking, Our Wives Under the Sea is an exploration of the unknowable depths within each of us, and the love that compels us nevertheless toward one another.
Julie’s Current Obsession:
Last night I wore my jammies to my best friend Denise’s house. We spent an hour or so gossiping about all things trivial and important, and then we ate Tootsie Pops and watched You Hurt My Feelings, which is a very stupid title for a very good movie.
I don’t know why this one disappeared from theaters so fast, but if you get a chance, I encourage you to seek it out. I’ve never been disappointed by a Nicole Holofcener movie, and Julia Louis Dreyfus is pitch perfect in her role. It reminded me of the old Woody Allen movies, without the Ick Factor, in that it’s about smart, sorta-neurotic people living in an idealized New York City.
More and more, the options at my local theater are just recycled IP. Superhero franchises, sequels, and live-action remakes have dominated our theater going experience, and it is boring me to tears. How do we get more of this type of storytelling in our eyeballs?
What about you, my friends? What are you reading/listening to/eating/drinking/watching/interested in these days?
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