We discuss our favorite / best books we've read halfway through the year (2025) and what we're looking forward to reading.

Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.

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We discuss the realization that Gideon and Harrow are, in fact, youths, and Gideon has a teenager's brain. Plus, a lot of mysteries occur in the book about what exactly Canaan House is and what has occurred before.

Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.

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We talk empires, dragon slayers, dragons, finding your place, and going home again in this lovely novella.

Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.

Support bookstores and acquire this book at Bookshop.org

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We're talking about Emily Tesh's new book, The Incandescent, which is out today. Set in a British magical school, it gives us the overworked administrative point-of-view of running a magical school, to what felt like, to us, a very millennial-coded story that was fun to discuss.

Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.

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We discuss food Gideon has never had before, Magnus's dad vibes, mayonnaise uncle, and 9th House Zoom calls. We also speak on podcast amnesia, magic as science, the fantasy equivalent of Like A Dragon, and deus ex machinas as the plot thickens.

Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.

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We're back with more of Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb as we discuss Gideon and Harrow's arrival at Canaan House and the members of the other houses. Are you Team Skeleton or Team Ghost?

Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April Fool's! We love boat books; well, specifically, we love Alexandra Rowland's Running Close to the Wind. A perfect combination of our running bit of disliking boat books and this being one of the funniest books we've ever read, we thought it perfect for the day.

Your hosts are Steph Kingston (@StephOKingston), Christina Ladd (@christinaladd), and Joshua MacDougall (@FourofFiveWits). You can find us all on Bluesky. Our art is by Mangoyu Art (@MangoyuArt), and our music is by Bad Sparrow (@BadSparrowMusic). You can find us on BlueSky, and Instagram.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's March, so by the rules of podcasting, we must do a draft. On this episode, each host drafted eight characters to come to a new world as its new protectors (or rulers, depending on their disposition). You can decide via the poll below whose eight would be the best protectors or make the best stories. The poll will be open for one month.

https://forms.gle/PJGc9m5cVHQYjBMW6

Here are each host's eight:

Joshua:

1. Thurvishar D’Lorus (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons

2. Kaul Shaelinsan “Shae” (Green Bone Sage by Fonda Lee)

3. Richa Langyun (Book of the Usurper by Erin M. Evans)

4. Adolin Kholin (The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson)

5. Kihrin D’Mon (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons)

6. Peralon (The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons)

7. Caul Shivers (The Age of Madness by Joe Abercrombie)

8. Bayaz, First of the Magi (The Age of Madness by Joe Abercrombie)

Steph:

1. Queen Neveranimas (The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons)

2. Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir)

3. Arasgon, the Fireblood (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons)

4. Samwise Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

5. Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār (Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland)

6. Senera (A Chorus of Dragon by Jenn Lyons)

7. Kaladin Stormblessed (The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson)

8. Nynaeve al'Meara (The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan)

Christina:

1. Dr. Ayda Mensah (The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells)

2. Brother Qown (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons)

3. Asshole Research Transport (ART) (The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells)

4. Anahrod (The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons)

5. Abigail Pent (The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir)

6. Tyensto (A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons)

7. Digger-of-Unnecessarily-Convoluted-Tunnels (Digger by Ursula Vernon)

8. Avra Helvaçi (Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland)

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