The Coode Street Podcast

Jonathan and Gary are back with a socially-distanced full-hour podcast. Since last time, Jonathan actually went and read the reviews for the podcast on the iTunes Podcast app where one listener described the Coode Street as being occasionally enlightening, saying when: "the two hosts are left to their own devices (which is most of the time) they testily chew over a handful of pet topics, usually debating who should win each year's awards and then whether or not awards mean anything".  and rated the podcast Three stars. Perfectly fair. Today's episode was recorded during the Nebula Awards presentation and days after the announcement of the Locus Awards shortlists. Both feature briefly, but our main topic was not awards. Rather we turned to more fundamental questions involving reasons to be optimistic about science fiction, the role of entertainment in reading SFF, what each of us values most in what we read, and, almost accidentally, some brief previews of exciting novels coming up later this year. Hopefully the sound on today's episode is a bit better, the testiness is toned down, and you all enjoy!

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan spends ten minutes or so talking with the Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning 'Hermit of Binghampton", Jack Dann, who checks in from his home in coastal Victoria to talk about life, art, books, and more. Books mentioned include: Shadows in the Stone by Jack Dann Pluche or the Love of Art by Jean Dutourd The Best of R.A. Lafferty by R.A. Lafferty Masters of Science Fiction: Kate Wilhelm (2 vols.) by Kate Wilhelm Marque of Caine by Charles E. Gannon The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr by John Crowley A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce  

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. This is the point where, at least for Jonathan, it all went off the rails and the 'ten minutes with" became a purely aspirational thing, losing any connection with chronological reality. In a fascinating, sprawling conversation Jonathan spends half an hour or so talking to agent, editor, bibliographer, and reluctant shut-in, John Berlyne of the Zeno Literary Agency, about reading, books, agenting and how to get an agent, how the current situation may affect publishing, and much more. Books mentioned include: Mr Breakfast by Jonathan Carroll The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson Railsea by China Miéville Jack of Shadows by Roger Zelazny Bones of the Moon by Jonathan Carroll The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi The Constant Rabbit by Jasper FForde The Anomaly by Michael Rutger Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures by Stephen Fry (audio) The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer (audio)    

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Scholar, photographer, editor, artist, author, and winner of many Ditmar and Aurealis Awards Cat Sparks joins Gary to discuss the comparative experience of Australia vs the US in the current crisis, her own doctoral research in SF and climate fiction, missing out on ICFA this year, the attractions of comfort-reading mysteries, the virtues of Paul J. McAuley, and her forthcoming collection of stories. Books mentioned include: Dark Harvest by Cat Sparks The Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths The Quantum Magician by Derek Kunsken War of the Maps by Paul McAuley Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna Repo Virtual by Corey J. White The Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French Photography mentioned: Cat’s nature photography:  Wall Safari!  

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. This time out, Gary talks with fellow Locus reviewer Karen Burnham, author of Greg Egan in the Modern Masters of Science Fiction series, and occasional pieces for The Cascadia Subduction Zone. We touch upon having kids at home during the lockdown, finding time to do our own reading in between reading for reviews, and favorite literary comfort foods such as Terry Pratchett and Gail Carriger. Books mentioned include: Greg Egan by Karen Burnham The Revenger Series by Alastair Reynolds Horizon by Barry Lopez Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez The Lives of a Cell and the Medusa and the Snail by Lewis Thomas Small Gods by Terry Pratchett The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett Soulless by Gail Carriger The Order of the Stick by Rich Burlew        

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan is joined by the World Fantasy Award-winning author of the Green Bone Saga, the Exo series, and Zeroboxer, Fonda Lee, to chat about life in strange times, adapting how you work in a home suddenly full of family, the joys of reading and writing, and much more. Books mentioned include: Jade City by Fonda Lee Jade War by Fonda Lee Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda Black Bolt by Saladin Ahmed The Way of the Househusband by Kousuke Oono Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Riby    

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan spends ten minutes with Aurealis Award-nominated debut novelist Corey J. White to discuss moving to Melbourne, reading Ralph Ellison, the Voidwitch Saga, optimism, cyberpunk and the future, and his recently released debut, Repo Virtual.  Books mentioned include: Repo Virtual by Corey J. White The Voidwitch Saga by Corey J. White Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Humankind: Solidarity with Non-Human People by Timothy Morton The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander      

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan spends ten minutes or so talking with one of the most beloved writers in the history of science fiction and fantasy, Lois McMaster Bujold, about working and writing in these strange times, her semi-retirement and how she came to write and publish the Penric and Desdemona series, and much more. Books mentioned include: The Physicians of Vilnoc (Penric and Desdemona #8) by Lois McMaster Bujold  Penric's Progress by Lois McMaster Bujold Penric's Travels by Lois McMaster Bujold Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher Swordheart by T. Kingfisher Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty    

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan takes ten minutes to talk to the bestselling, critically-acclaimed, and award-winning editor and anthologist Ann VanderMeer about working and reading in these difficult times, the joys of connecting with friends and family through distanced technology, and her own projects, Avatars.Inc and The Big Book of Modern Fantasy. Books mentioned include: Avatars Inc edited by Ann VanderMeer The Big Book of Modern Fantasy edited by Ann Vandermeer and Jeff VanderMeer My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh Wow, No Thank You. by Samantha Irby Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu The Rabbit Hunter by Lars Kepler Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Zora Neale Hurston    

Ten minutes with... is a special series presented by Coode Street that sees readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they're reading right now and what's getting them through these difficult times. Today Jonathan sits down to chat with debut novelist Jeremy Szal to talk about reading, writing, his admiration for Netflix's Tiger King, the fiction of Scott Lynch and Ian M. Banks, his debut novel Stormblood, and more. Books mentioned include: Stormblood by Jeremy Szal The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks Golden Son by Pierce Brown Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie (audiobook)