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S&L Podcast - #88 - Titillate the Audience
So, this whole drinking while podcasting.
Please tell me this will be a regular thing? :P
Please tell me this will be a regular thing? :P
Veronica & Tom, with regards to the female listener looking for female authors, I don't know much in the way of spy thrillers. For Sci-Fi though, Nancy Kress is amazing.
Ala wrote: "So, this whole drinking while podcasting.Please tell me this will be a regular thing? :P"
Hasn't it been going on for quite a while, only less explicitly?
This is for MR who's looking for great female authors. While they aren't scifi/fantasy, they are great ones for the historical fiction/murder mystery/intrigue fans.• Fiona Buckley's Ursula Blanchard's series
• Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's series (don't let the covers fool you, they're great reads, lol)
This is turning into Diggnation. :pIt's pronounced 'Ursula K. Le Gwin' Tom.
For MR's Great Female SF authors: Mary Robinette Kowal Bujold, Cat Valente, Mira Grant/Seanna McGuire, Liz Bear, Diane Duane, Barbara Hambly (but not the Star Wars one, it was drek), Phaedra Weldon (both her Trek stuff and BattleCorps.com stuff), Ilsa J Bick, oh and Vonda McIntyre (Hugo and Nebula winner, and trek author). I could name a Dragonlance creator or a couple of comic book writers too. I heartily recommend Basilisk Station, I've read it many times and would love to hear your opinions on it. Also the FSL could have a berth for the Royal Manticoran Navy team, if my Cybertron Matrix team doesn't get in (You are welcome for the FSL plug, Tom).
As for me, I'd like to do some of my favorite S&L books, can we do a couple of SF&F classics soon? City, Armor, Hospital Station, Canticle for Lebowitz, a certain Cimmerian, stuff like that would be fun to do as a palate cleanser after rule 34. Heck, from the reactions I'm reading, a few GOR novels would be fine as palate cleanser (if you have read them you understand my sarcasm).
Mod
Please tell me this will be a regular thing? :P"
Hasn't it been going on for quite a while, only less explicitly?"
Did I sound more drunk than usual? Because I really wasn't that drunk... barely buzzed! Hmm... interesting...
Great podcast V and T...will you guys drink white wine in the summer?....I am liking Rule 34 but I am a Stross fan....I will say about Stross that he has a snarky voice that using the second person is part of and I thinks helps deal with the issues at hand while keeping it light if possible...going to read Empire State next....Thanks V and T for coming out about going both ways (Audible and written books)honesty is appreciated...Female authors I would start with V and T's picks then Patricia Cornwell P.D. James for mystery Sarah Zetel, Nancy Kress, Janet Kagan, Eluki Bes Sahar, Melissa Scott, Mary Stewart, Julian May, just to name a few I have read....
If I had a podcast I would drink on it.Awesome female sff authors: Elizabeth Bear, Sarah Monette, Karin Lowachee, Gemma Files, Kathe Koja
For interested in female authors and genderish stuff, you may be interested in another podcast - galactic suburbia http://galactisuburbia.podbean.com/
Veronica wrote: "Anne wrote: "Ala wrote: "So, this whole drinking while podcasting.Please tell me this will be a regular thing? :P"
Hasn't it been going on for quite a while, only less explicitly?"
Did I sound ..."
No, you didn't. It's just that with the wine discussion it gets a bit more attention, which I personally enjoy. I think a healthy dose of wine (or other alcoholic beverages) probably helps making the podcast more fun.
Not that it's not fun without it.
Gee, I'll never be able to talk my way out of this, am I?
JUST KEEP ON DOING WHAT YOU DO. That's what I wanted to say.
Loved the show. I'm completely with you guys that listening and reading, though the neural processes are different, may be used interchangeably. In the grand scheme, you are experiencing the book, you can talk about details, plot, etc. yes there are differences but I'm ok with the term "reading" applying to both for the sake of ease of speech.Also, I echo Tom's suggestion of Andre Norton as a female writer in this genre. She is often forgotten. Another oft-overlooked author is Lois McMaster Bujold, who wrote the Chalion books (my phone tried to change that to Chalupa) and a space opera series I can't spell.
Great show!
Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my favorite authors. Terpkristin, you're perhaps thinking of the Vorkosigan Saga -- just call it the Vor Saga.As for drinking -- T & V, perhaps you should let us know a week in advance what you'll be drinking. You know, so we can all join in.
Even though I'm probably going to be at work.
I second the vote for On Basilisk Station - I've audibled the whole series (plus the two sub series and the Stephanie Harrington book) in the last 6 months - Now thanks to the cd-rom I got with my physical copy of Mission of Honor (What other companies would think to do that then...) I'm going to re-read the whole lot on my Kindle - I would say that I'd join your drink selection - I have a nice bottle of 45 year old Glenlivet whisky ready here for a special occasion.
And for those who are in the area, Charles Stross is the GoH at Satellite 3 at the end of February in Glasgow
Dave
For female science-fiction authors, I don't think anyone has mentioned Connie Willis, C J Cherryh or James Tiptree Jr. (the pesudonym of Alice Sheldon; did you know she was a photointelligence officer in WW II?)
Dennis wrote: "For female science-fiction authors, I don't think anyone has mentioned Connie Willis, C J Cherryh or James Tiptree Jr. (the pesudonym of Alice Sheld..."Good catch Dennis all three rock but CJ Cherryh is my all time favorite scifi writer of any gender...
Mod
I think that that part of the Peter-Gabriel-era Genesis (...ah, when Phil Collins was just the drummer...) song 'Get 'Em Out By Friday' *does* qualify as being science-fiction-y. It goes:
"This is a announcement from Genetic Control: 'It is my sad duty to inform you of a four-foot restriction on humanoid height.'"
The lyric sheet notes "18/9/2012 T.V. Flash on all Dial-A-Program Services" above that line (the album came out in '72). (And, c'mon, 'humanoid' - where does that get used outside of laser-y stuff, huh? huh??) ;)
Also, on the same album is 'Watcher of the Skies', inspired by the S&L read Childhood's End.
Yes, I listened to that album far too many times in jr. high.
Also, was I the only one that saw the title for this episode and immediately figured that there would be a reference to the Words That Stick With You thread? I mean, the word "Titillate" isn't used nearly often enough.
I third the vote for On Basilisk Station. It's free from Baen and on my To-Read list. Live Free or Die is also worth a look and I agree that the style of the book had me laughing quite a bit.
[i]"...and Angus."[/i]Wi-5's all round everybody!
Since no one has mentioned her yet, I'd like to put in a vote for Kristine Kathryn Rusch. The Retrieval Artist series of books are all pretty good crime drama/mysteries, set in an SF future.They're based mostly around a male protagonist, but there are plenty of female characters. Also, the entire series is on Audible, read by Jay Snyder, who has to be one of the top narrators out there...
Susanna Clarke's 'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell' is one of my favourite books of all time. I'd recommend it to anyone with a soul.
Brian wrote: "Since no one has mentioned her yet, I'd like to put in a vote for Kristine Kathryn Rusch. The Retrieval Artist series of books are all pretty good crime drama/mysteries, set in an SF future.They're based mostly around a male protagonist, but there are plenty of female characters. Also, the entire series is on Audible, read by Jay Snyder, who has to be one of the top narrators out there... "
Sounds like Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict series.
Nevan wrote: "Susanna Clarke's 'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell' is one of my favourite books of all time. I'd recommend it to anyone with a soul."Interesting. I've found this is one of those love it/hate it books. Personally, I listened to the audio and was bored to sleep by it. Didn't see what the hype was. But a good friend of mine (with traditionally similar tastes) really loved it. There are a few books I've come across that are polarizing, that is one of them.
Huzzah, Tom and Veronica!BTW, my handle is taken from the (in)famous 1957 sci-fi movie "The Brain From Planet Arous" and is pronounced "AIR-ohs" not "OHR-os."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050210/
I'm enjoying the podcast. :)
terpkristin wrote: "Interesting. I've found this is one of those love it/hate it books. Personally, I listened to the audio and was bored to sleep by it. Didn't see what the hype was. But a good friend of mine (with traditionally similar tastes) really loved it. There are a few books I've come across that are polarizing, that is one of them."What terpkristin said. I read it (as in no audiobook) and I wanted to like it so much, but it was just meh for me. I know others who really enjoyed it. Not me, though.
Tamahome wrote: "Sounds like Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict series. "I'm a big fan of the Alex Benedict series, too. There are definitely some shared themes between it and the Retrieval Artist series. Both tend to have mysteries as their central plot point, but they go about telling their stories in very different ways.
Also the Alex Benedict series is all on Audible. And, for the most part, they're read by another top-tier narrator: Jennifer Van Dyck.
I'll fourth the On Basilisk Station recommendation, with the caveat that I found the series picks up quite a bit after that book. Regardless, they're fantastic books and I can't wait to finish them. I've been going through the audiobooks for quite a few of them, and have the complete set thanks to Baen's free library.
The "what we're drinking" is my least favorite part of Bite Club and I'm sad that it has migrated to this show as well. It makes a little more sense for a vampire podcast, but for a reading podcast? Why not talk about tea or what kind of bubble bath you like? That's more stereotypically "bookish". I would ask that if it remains a regular segment, at least keep it short, I dropped Bite Club because I got too lazy to keep fastforwarding through the interminably long wine segments.
Anne wrote: "terpkristin wrote: "Interesting. I've found this is one of those love it/hate it books. Personally, I listened to the audio and was bored to sleep by it. Didn't see what the hype was. But a good fr..."I was also bored to death, and I couldn't finish it. I guess it is one of those marmite books.
Anne wrote: "terpkristin wrote: "Interesting. I've found this is one of those love it/hate it books. Personally, I listened to the audio and was bored to sleep by it. Didn't see what the hype was. But a good fr..."I listened to it on audiobook and while it definitely took me a while to get into it, I rapidly became one of the "LOVE IT" people. It's such a deep and complex story.
terpkristin wrote: Interesting. I've found this is one of those love it/hate it books."
How did the audio version handle the footnotes?
I think it just read them. I don't recall if they were identified as footnotes.
It was a long while ago when I read it, but I think Terpkristin is right -- they were read (and identified as footnotes). I don't think it interfered with the pacing any more than reading them in print would have. Also, the narration was fabulous. Made a big difference for me.
Mod
It really bothers you that much? I mean, we talk about it for like a minute.
Did anyone else listen to Like Burrage's review of On Basilisk Station?It didn't exactly fill me with desire to read it.
Heh I had the same thought, Kate. Luke's review moved it significantly lower on my prospect list. That said, if it's chosen as the prime book this year, I'll give it at least a hundred-page shakeout.
I liked it when I first read Basilisk Station (in the mid 90s) but I picked it up again after his review and he was right about the writing not being great.
Kate wrote: "Did anyone else listen to Like Burrage's review of On Basilisk Station?It didn't exactly fill me with desire to read it."
He also rated Snowcrash 0.9 and Game Of Thrones at 2.5 out of 5. Some of his ratings I agree with (Iain M Banks for example) but I think he is way off base with some of them.
About a quarter of the way into Book Girl and the Corrupted Angel. When they read the description on the last podcast, Veronica mentioned that the "Angel of Music" reminded her of Phantom of the Opera ... well, not a coincidence.
Mod
Iiiiiiinteresting! *arches eyebrow in thoughtful manner*
Well, it is a series about a goblin who eats books and solves mysteries with her knowledge of literature -- the last volume involved Wuthering Heights, and the one before that Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human. This one has a girl studying at musical academy who goes missing, but before that happened her voice had improved dramatically thanks to a mysterious mentor.
Veronica wrote: "It really bothers you that much? I mean, we talk about it for like a minute. I was just being paranoid it would grow to Bite Club length. Just my two cents, it's your show.
Sean wrote: "Well, it is a series about a goblin who eats books and solves mysteries with her knowledge of literature . . ."Another one of those? ;)
Kate wrote: "Did anyone else listen to Like Burrage's review of On Basilisk Station?It didn't exactly fill me with desire to read it."
Awful travesty of a review. Waffling, babbling and pathetically inaccurate and that's just the first five minutes. I'd never heard of Burrage before and I shall go out of my way to avoid any other 'reviews' he does.
Ok I admit that I like SF with a military theme and I really enjoyed the Honor Harrington series but I do realise that others may not share my view. However, reviewers should at least get their descriptions of plot and context right. There so many inaccuracies in this review that it would take too long to go through them.
If you do like military SF and like me you regard the Patrick O'Brian books (Aubrey and Maturin series) as some of the best writing in English literature, you will love the Honor Harrington series.
Noel wrote: "Awful travesty of a review. Waffling, babbling and pathetically inaccurate and that's just the first five minutes. I'd never heard of Burrage before and I shall go out of my way to avoid any other 'reviews' he does."I have to agree with you. I skipped through this one and then sampled a couple of others. He obviously likes the sound of his own voice and jabbers on about irrelevant rubbish all the way through. Stretching out a single book review to an hour or more seriously tests my patience. I just want to reach out, grab him by the throat and tell him 'GET ON WITH IT!.
My observation of the SFBRP reviews Luke does is that he's got a very certain style of book he likes. It seems that he is almost looking for boxes to check. I've only listened to a few reviews of his for books I haven't read (his review of On Basilisk Station is one of those). For the ones I have read, I find I agree with him about 50% of the time. Further, what he sometimes calls flaws/shortcomings are not what I consider to be flaws/shortcomings. I enjoy listening to his opinions, even if I don't agree. That said, if he gives a book I haven't read a low review, and I was already on the fence about it, his review never knocks it completely off the list but it does usually lower its priority a little bit (not that that's saying much when I have a physical TBR pile of about 10 books plus 20 audiobooks TBR and about another 20 or so Kindle books--and that's just books I've already purchased/obtained).Luke does encourage listeners to write him emails about his reviews. So I'd encourage you tow write him...he claims he reads them all and tries to respond, either on his show or in email, to all.
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
On Basilisk Station (other topics)On Basilisk Station (other topics)
Book Girl and the Corrupted Angel (light novel) (other topics)
On Basilisk Station (other topics)
Book Girl and the Corrupted Angel (light novel) (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jack McDevitt (other topics)Kristine Kathryn Rusch (other topics)
C.J. Cherryh (other topics)
James Tiptree Jr. (other topics)
Connie Willis (other topics)
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