On this very last episode, your hosts begin with a quick recap of the infamous lost episode of March 2024, wherein they discussed two novels they both very much enjoyed, A Helping Hand by Celia Dale and Monsters by Emerald Fennell. There are no real spoilers in this brief discussion, although there is some moaning and gnashing of teeth in regards to technological mishaps. Not that they bear any grudges. Oh no, not at all.

Your hosts then turn their attention the two novels they unsuspectingly selected as the very last to be discussed on this podcast. Ever. Probably. Definitely! The books up on the slab are The Glutton by A E Blakemore [15:00] and Days of Innocence and Wonder by Lucy Treloar [42:10].

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:10:25 for some final - FINAL! -remarks.

Kirstyn and Ian would like to thank all their listeners over the years, both long term fans and those who dropped by from time to time to dip their toes. They would especially like to thank their wonderful Patreon patrons whose generosity covered all the bills - you are beloved! 

The Writer and the Critic will remain archived at Podbean for the foreseeable future, and whenever this changes the details of its new digs will be posted here.

Kirstyn and Ian would also like to recommend a handful of bookish podcasts you might like to check out, if you haven't already come across them:

• Backlisted
• The Garret
• Let the Cat In
• Bohemiana
• The Coode Street Podcast

If you would like to keep in touch, you can find your miscreant hosts in various places online:

Kirstyn McDermott

• https://kirstynmcdermott.com
• BlueSky: @fearofemeralds.bsky.social

Ian Mond

• https://mondyboy.com/
• BlueSky: @mondyboy74.bsky.social

As a far wiser and funnier writer and critic once said, so long and thanks for all the fish!

Next episode, Kirstyn and Ian will be discussing the following the two books:

• The Glutton by A E Blakemore
• Days of Innocence and Wonder by Lucy Treloar 

There will be an episode. They promise.

The books up for dissection this month are The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson [5:10] and A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand [39:20].

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:02:00 for final remarks - including a surprise anecdote involving Evelyn Waugh!

Next episode, the two books on the slab will be:

• A Helping Hand by Celia Dale
• Monsters by Emerald Fennell

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The books up for discussion this month are After the Forest by Kell Woods [13:35] and I am Homeless if This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moor [54:20].

This review by Parul Sehgal of I Am Homeless if This is Not My Home in The New Yorker is highly recommended if you are able to access it.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:21:55 for final remarks.

Next episode will be February 2024 and the two books on the slab will be:

• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The books up for discussion this month are The Broken Shore by Peter Temple [7:25] and Slow Horses by Mick Herron [33:30].

Mentioned in dispatches and highly recommended are the following television series:

• Deadloch (2023)
• The Sandbaggers (1978-1980)

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:04:25 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• After the Forest by Kell Woods
• I am Homeless if This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:14:10 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• The Broken Shore by Peter Temple
• Slow Horses by Mick Herron

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Listeners may want to check out the following, as mentioned:

• Chuck Wendig's blog: Terrible Minds
• Nina Allan's website: The Spider's House
• Review of Conquest in Locus by Gary K. Wolfe

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 59:25 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan
• The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Listeners may also wish to head over to Cinema Chords to watch the interview with Erica LaRocca mentioned in this episode.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:01:10 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig
• Conquest by Nina Allan

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:13:00 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower
• The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
• Sing, Nightingale by Marie Hélène Poitras

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

For listeners interested in spec fic dealing with the second generation immigrant experience, Ian also recommends Flux by Jinwoo Chong.

And Kirstyn has found unbounded delight in a silly little browser add-on, Tabby Cat.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• LOTE by Shola Von Reinhold

• Animal Life by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The interview with Samantha Allen that was mentioned in this episode can be read here.

The fabulously sartorial Jules Mond can be found on Instagram @seemeswoon.

And for listeners curious to know what Ian's beautiful William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review actually looks like, here it is complete with box:

Kirstyn promises to mail it to him before the end of the year. Maybe.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 109:10 for final remarks.

The first episode of 2023 will be uploaded in February 2023 and the two books on the slab will be:

• Every Version of You by Grace Chan

• The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The books up for discussion this month are Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum [10:25] and Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield [34:00].

Kirstyn also highly recommends The Ghost Sequences by A.C. Wise from her new favourite small press, Undertow Publications.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 108:20 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky

• Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The books up for discussion this month are Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi Demeester [4:10] and Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett [29:25].

Ian also heartily recommends Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett and Berg by Ann Quin.

Congratulations are due to Ian as well for his recent nomination for the William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review! And a gracious reminder that Kirstyn's new collection, Hard Places, is available now from Trepidatio Publishing.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 104:40 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum

• Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The books up for discussion this month are Dance Move by Wendy Erskine [9:55] and Ariadne, I Love You by J. Ashley-Smith [36:05].

Listeners may also want to check out other books by the same authors, including Sweet Home by Erskine and The Attic Tragedy by Ashley-Smith. The two interviews with J. Ashley-Smith mentioned on the podcast can be found at Tomes and Tales and paulsemel.com.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 102:05 for final remarks, including an unexpected and possibly ill-advised foray into Top Gun.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett

• Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi Demeester

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The books up for discussion this month are Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin [5:25] and And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin [44:40].

This excellent review of Manhunt by Lee Mandelo was mentioned in the podcast, and these two by Liam McBain and Christ are also well worth a read.

For listeners who would like to know what Lucy, the High-Flying Cat of Interruption, looks like, here she is in her bed atop the bookcase:

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 108:40 for brief final remarks.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• Dance Move by Wendy Erskine

• Ariadne, I Love You by J. Ashley-Smith

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The books up for discussion this month are two novels: Devotion by Hannah Kent [5:20] and The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan [35:20].

The review of The School for Good Mothers that Kirstyn mentioned was this one by Ilana Masad in The Washington Post.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 109:30 for brief final remarks.

Next month, the two books on the slab will be:

• Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

• And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The books being discussed this month are two collections of short fiction: I Would Haunt You if I Could by Seán Padraic Birnie [2:10] and Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby [28:50].

For those listeners who enjoyed the Seán Padraic Birnie collection, Kirstyn would also like to draw your attention to a recent short story of his, "Funny Faces" over at The Dark.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 48:50 for a minor rant about novels vs collection plus brief final remarks.

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

• Devotion by Hannah Kent

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The books being flensed this month are The Wych Elm by Tana French [5:10] and My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley [37:15].

Ian would also like to make sure you know about the new short story that Kirstyn has had published in The Dark. You're welcome.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:04:25 for brief final remarks.

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby

• I Would Haunt You if I Could by Seán Padraic Birnie

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Ahem. The books up for discussion this month are When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut [6:08] and A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofal [52:35].

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:18:15 for final remarks including a discussion about just what we mean when we say "novel" and why we might need to find some new words to describe long-form fiction.

Some helpful links for things mentioned in this episode:

• Burnt Sugar and the Never Afters series by Kirstyn McDermott available from Brain Jar Press
• You Tube: Doireann Ní Ghríofa introduces A Ghost in the Throat

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• The Wych Elm by Tana French

• My Phantoms by Gwendoline Riley

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:16:45 for final remarks.

Next episode - in February 2022! - the two books up on the slab will be:

• When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut

• A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 58:15 for final remarks, including a minor rant on the subject of book annotations/defacement.

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• Little Eve by Catriona Ward

• Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Before the recording of Episode 84, Kirstyn and Ian had a chat about the strange alternative present that has taken up residence during COVID. It didn't quite fit into the episode itself so they though they'd upload it as an extra surprise this month.

Hope you enjoy!

The visual artists referenced during are Lea Guldditte Hestelund and Patricia Piccinini.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:22:50 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• Dissolve by Nikki Gemmell
• The Cost of Living: A Working Autobiography by Deborah Levy

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The article “Cat Person” and Me by Alexis Nowicki is recommended for those interested further background reading.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:24:30 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen

• The Employees by Olga Ravn

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Also recommended is the novella The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes, which Ian reviewed for Locus.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:23:10 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• All the Fabulous Beasts by Priya Sharma

• You Know You Want This: Cat Person and other stories by Kristen Roupenian

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:17:00 for final remarks.

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay

• Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:18:15 for final remarks - including the exciting conclusion to last episode's exciting cliffhanger: Has Ian Finished All the Murmuring Bones and Did He Like it?

Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

• Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

P.S. Our apologies for the poor sound quality on this episode. Due to unnoticed mic issues, for once Ian sounds better than Kirstyn - a fact about which he is undoubtedly delighted.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:12:15 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• Memorial by Bryan Washington

• The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:07:50 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• All the Murmuring Bones by Angela Slatter

• Smart Ovens for Lonely People by Elizabeth Tan

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you enjoy these two books, you might like to check out the collections by the same authors: Homesick by Cipri and Apple and Knife by Paramaditha.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:13:45 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• Mammoth by Chris Flynn

• Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The three of them jump straight into their discussion of two books by Maria Dahvana Headley, Beowulf: A New Translation and The Mere Wife [47:20]. Grab a tasty beverage ... this is going to take some time.

You might also want to the check out the following links for further exploration:

• Beowulf as translated by Seamus Heaney
• The Beowulf episode of the Backlisted podcast
• A marathon reading of Beowulf by an all star cast - new chapters daily from 1 to 25 December 2020.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:31:00 for brief final remarks.

This is the last episode for the year ... hope the door hits you on the arse on the way out, 2020. For the first episode of 2021, airing in February, Kirstyn and Ian will be turning their attention to:

• Finna by Nino Cipri

• The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

As promised, for listeners who would like to keep tabs on the Montague Street bridge, you can find updates here. And Ian once again highly recommends the Backlisted podcast. He's not getting kickbacks, we swear!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:10:45 for brief final remarks.

Next month, The Writer and the Critic is delighted to welcome back Lisa L. Hannett, special guest and speculative fiction author extraordinaire! Lisa, Kirstyn and Ian will be turning their critical attention to:

• The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley

• Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

This review by Benjamin Meyers in The Guardian is mentioned during the discussion of Folk, and Ian also highly recommends Eley Williams' short story collection, Attrib. and Other Stories.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:02:10 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay

• Let's Play White by Chesya Burke

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

For those wanting to add to their reading lists, Ian highly recommends the Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses as a means of finding books and authors outside the mass market that you might not otherwise come across.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:02:15 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• The Liar’s Dictionary by Eley Williams

• Folk by Zoe Gilbert

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Ian and Kirstyn both thoroughly recommend a visit to Obligatory Note of Hope, mentioned during the discussion, for readers wanting to engage further in some of the issues raised by Jenny Offill.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:02:40 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

This fine essay "Our Root Problem: The Overstory by Richard Powers" by Jason Childs, mentioned during the discussion, is also well worth a read.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:19:25 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• Hold by Kirsten Tranter
• Weather by Jenny Offill

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:14:00 for brief final remarks. Next month, the two books up on the slab will be:

• Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Overstory by Richard Powers

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

Here's the list of links in order of discussion:

1. The Migration by Helen Marshall (recommended by Kirstyn)

2. Some Good News YouTube channel (recommended by Ian)

3. Mothers Grimm by Danielle Wood (Kirstyn)

4. Victorian Premier Dan Andrews on Twitter and Facebook (Ian)

5. Eye in the Sky (Kirstyn)

6. The Good Place (Kirstyn)

7. Science Vs podcast (Ian)

8. The Allusionist podcast (Kirstyn)

9. The Memory Palace podcast (Kirstyn)

10. Backlisted podcast (Ian)

11. Phoebe Judge reading classic mystery stories on the Criminal podcast (Kirstyn)

12. The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley (Kirstyn)

13. We All Hear Stories in the Dark by Robert Shearman (Ian)

14. "10 Minutes with ..." series on the Coode Street Podcast

Will there be another episode of The Writer and the Critic? Kirstyn and Ian are not sure! It depends on how bored and lonely they get! Or how many people send them feedback that does not include death threats! But they want you to know that they love you and miss you and hope you are all keeping safe and healthy in these strange and difficult times.

* Comfortable suburban loungerooms

Listeners might also like to check out this interview with Cally Black on ABC Radio for more insights. If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:09:40 for brief final remarks, including the following recommendations to get your ongoing literary fix:

• The Hysterical Hamster review blog by Ian Mond
• Backlisted podcast by John Mitchinson and Andy Miller (whose voice, apparently, sounds like molten chocolate lava)

Kirstyn and Ian would like to thank all of their listeners over the past seven years, as well as the guests who have given generously of their time to appear on various episodes. And a special thank you to those who have been able to support The Writer and the Critic on Patreon - you have helped make poscasting life a little easier! 

* maybe not the very last.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:17:10 for brief final remarks. The books up for discussion next month's are two debut novels:

• How to Bee by Bren MacDibble
• In the Dark Spaces by Cally Black

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:12:25 for brief final remarks. The books up for discussion next month's are two horror/dark novels:

• White Tears by Hari Kunzru
• Confessions by Kanae Minato

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

For readers interested in spec-fic-skewed novels in a similar vein, Ian highly recommends the following:

• Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff
• The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
• The Fractured Europe Sequence by Dave Hutchinson

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:47:40 for brief final remarks. The books up for discussion on next month's Patron's Choice episode are:

• The Fisherman by John Langan
• By Light We Knew Our Names by Anne Valente

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• Brit Mandelo's review of Maresi on Tor.com
• Julia Gillard's Misogyny Speech on YouTube

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:24:45 for brief final remarks. The books up for discussion next month are:

• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• Likhain's Continuum 13 Guest of Honour Speech
• Seanan McGuire's Continuum 13 Guest of Honour Hour

They then move on to discuss the two featured books for this month: Hurricane Heels by Isabel Yap [7:10] and Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology edited by Charles Tan [41:40].

Listeners might also like to read the following related articles/interviews:

• Hurricane Heels: How It Happened by Isabel Yap
• Diversity Beyond Borders: A Conversation with Charles Tan

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:27:45 for final remarks. Also, the annual Patron's Choice episode is coming up in a couple of months, so please check out the Patreon website to see if you are eligible to nominate books for The Writer and the Critic to discuss. Next month, Kirstyn and Ian will be looking at two Finnish novels:

• Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff    
• City of Woven Streets by Emmi Itäranta

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The novels for this episode are: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (Best Fantasy Novel) [22:00] and The Grief Hole by Kaaron Warren (Best Horror Novel) [57:30].

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:33:30 for final remarks. Next month, Ian and Kirstyn are reading short fiction again with an anthology and a collection of interconnected stories:

• Lauriat: A Filipino-Chinese Speculative Fiction Anthology edited by Charles Tan
• Hurricane Heels by Isabel Yap

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:38:00 for final remarks. Next month, Ian and Kirstyn have chosen two recent Aurealis Award winners to discuss:

• Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (Best Fantasy Novel)
• The Grief Hole by Kaaron Warren (Best Horror Novel)

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:13:45 for some brief final remarks, including a recommendation to check out SavidgeReads on YouTube. Simon Savidge is smart, funny and delightfully bookish! Next month, the two books up for discussion will be:

• The Swan Book by Alexis Wright
• Crossroads of Canopy by Thoraiya Dyer

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:32:10 for some brief final remarks, including an impromptu lesson about gaslighting. The two books up for discussion on the next episode are:

• Rosewater by Tade Thompson
• Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:33:00 for some brief final remarks. The two books up for discussion on the next episode are:

• The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo
• Jagannath by Karin Tidbeck

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

 Listeners might like to check out the following links mentioned during the podcast:

• Get in Trouble reviewed by David Ulin in the Los Angeles Times
• What is Not Yours is Not Yours reviewed by Nina Allan in Strange Horizons
• What is Not Yours is Not Yours reviewed by Kate Clanchy in the Guardian

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:33:30 for final remarks. Up for discussion on the next episode - which will be the first episode of 2017! - are two more  short story collections:

• Bødy by Asa Nonami
• Ghost Summer: Stories by Tananarive Due

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• Nina Allen's review of Experimental Film at Strange Horizons
• "The Strange Horrors of Robert Aickman" by Matthew Cheney at Electric Lit
  

• Get in Trouble by Kelly Link
• What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi

• Full transcript of Lionel Shriver's speech in The Guardian
• Response to Shriver speech by Yassmin Abdel-Magied in The Guardian
• Repsonse by festival volunteer Yen-Rong
• Nike Sulway on Shriver, straw men and writing about others
• Jim Hines on Shriver and cultural appropriation
• Joe Aston in the Financial Review with an article that could be more accurately titled "How To Be A Dick: A Performance Piece".

The actual theme for the podcast this month was First Read/Re-Read. Kirstyn and Ian have each selected a book they read and loved a long, long time ago but which the other had never read before. Up for reminiscing and dissection are Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale [33:40], chosen by Ian, and The Pillow Friend by Lisa Tuttle [1:04:00] which was Kirstyn's pick.



If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:37:50 for final remarks. Up for discussion next month are two recent Shirley Jackson Award winners:

• Aickman's Heirs edited by Simon Strantzas (Winner: Edited Anthology)
• Experimental Film by Gemma Files (Winner: Novel)

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• The Dead Lake by Hamid Ismailov    
• Borderline by Mishell Baker         
• Defying Doomsday edited by Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench    
• Heat and Light by Ellen Van Neervan    
• Arms Race by Nic Low        
• Planetfall by Emma Newman         
• The Testimony by James Smythe    
• Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A. S. King        
• Affinity by Sarah Waters

The discussion then moves on to the two books that garnered the most votes: Quicksand House by Carlton Mellick III [5:50] and A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay [45:00]. This review of Quicksand House was mentioned in passing.



If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:27:30 for some brief final remarks. Next month, the theme will be First Read/Re-Read, where Kirstyn and Ian each select a book they have read and loved a long, long time ago but which the other has never read before. The two novels up for discussion will be:

• Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale - chosen by Ian
  
• The Pillow Friend by Lisa Tuttle - chosen by Kirstyn

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• On Blindness and the Portrayal of Marie-Laure in All the Light We Cannot See by Sheri Wells-Jensen  (The Toast)
• "There Was Darkness" by Martin Livings from Living With the Dead
• NYT Book Review podcast featuring Megan Abbott

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:32:00 for final remarks, including which books will be discussed next episode.

Next month is the inaugural Patron's Choice episode, wherein Kirstyn and Ian read two books nominated and voted on by some of their lovely supporters on Patreon. Ian won't let Kirstyn put the titles in the shownotes, because he wants them to be a surprise for listener's of this month's episode. Seriously, blame Ian. Then go to 1:32:00 to find out what they'll be discussing.

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:36:25 for final remarks, including some corrections regarding the Aurealis Awards as well as information for Patreon supporters about how to vote for the upcoming Patron's Choice episode.

Next month, Kirstyn and Ian will be looking at pair of novels which have spent a loooooong time on the New York Times Bestseller list:

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins      
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
• The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay
• In the Skin of a Monster by Kathryn Barker

They then dive straight into a meldy - but definitely not moldy! - discussion of both the books at hand Afro SF: Science Fiction by African Writers edited by Ivor W. Hartmann and The Sea Is Ours: Tales from Steampunk Southeast Asia edited by Jaymee Goh & Joyce Chng [5:20]. Because the books are both anthologies, there are precious few, if any, spoilers of individual stories so you may listen without fear!

(The cat anthology that Kirstyn couldn't remember the name of during the discussion was Twists of the Tale edited by Ellen Datlow. Purry, furry fun!)

If you did skip ahead, please come back at 1:23:50 for final remarks. Next month will be the 50th Epsiode of The Writer and the Critic. Who knew they would make it so far? (Ian. Ian knew.) To celebrate, Kirstyn and Ian have decided to each make a list of 25 of their favourite books which will hopefully combine without overlap to form a Writer and Critic Fab 50. Don't fret, dear listeners, they will only be spending a minute or two on each book. You won't need to set aside a whole weekend to listen. ;-)

Please join us for some 50th Episode spoiler-free shenanigans!

• Review of House of Small Shadows by Jeff VanderMeer in The Guardian
• Review of House of Small Shadows by Niall Alexander on Tor.com
• Review of Slade House by Sarah Thomas in the New York Times
• Review of Slade House by Liz Jenson in The Guardian
• Review of Slade House by Brian Finney in the LA Review of Books

• The Sea Is Ours: Tales from Steampunk Southeast Asia edited by Jaymee Goh & Joyce Chng
• AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers edited by Ivor W. Hartmann

• "The Death of Writing" by Tom McCarthy
• "Technology and the Novel" by Tom McCarthy
• Review of Satin Island by Marc Mewshaw in The Atlantic
• Review of Lament for the Afterlife in Publishers Weekly
• The United Stories of America by Rolf Lunden
• Clade by James Bradley
• Things We Didn't See Coming by Steven Amsterdam

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:47:45 for final remarks.

The next episode will air in February 2016 and will mark the shift to a more curatorial phase of the podcast. The books up for discussion will be Slade House by David Mitchell along with House of Small Shadows by Adam Nevill. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:28:40 for final remarks.

For the next episode, Kirstyn has chosen Lament for the Afterlife by Lisa L. Hannett while Ian is recommending Satin Island by Tom McCarthy. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• "Books About Women Don't Win Big Awards" by Nicola Griffith (see also the follow-up post on this project)
• "Homme de Plume: What I Learned Sending My Novel Out Under a Male Name" by Catherine Nichols

• Pembroke Lecture on Fantasy Literature by Kij Johnson (podcast)
• "The Godless by Ben Peek" reviewed on Pornkitsch
• "Book Review: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison" by Ian Mond
• "Ending the World with Hope and Comfort" by Matthew Cheney

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:54:00 for final remarks.

For the next episode, Kirstyn has chosen Day Boy by Trent Jamieson while Ian is recommending Viper Wine by Hermione Eyre. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• "Some comments on the Hugos and other SF awards" by Eric Flint
• Chaos Horizon by Brandon Kempner
• "Blogging For Rockets" and others posts on Not A Blog by George R. R. Martin
• File 770 by Mike Glyer

Thankfully, they then move on to talking about books! On the slab this time around are The Well by Elizabeth Jolley (18:50) and Clade by James Bradley. (57:50).

This obituary of Elizabeth Jolley in the New York Times as well as this interview with James Bradley in the Sydney Morning Herald are both mentioned.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers (or puppies), it's safe to tune back in at 1:46:40 for final remarks.

In June, The Writer and the Critic will be recorded live at Continuum 11: Southern Skies -- the Melbourne speculative fiction and pop culture convention. As has become traditional, the special guests for the podcast will be the convention's Guests of Honour, Tansy Rayner Roberts and R.J. (Rebecca) Anderson, who will each be recommending a favourite book to talk about. Tansy has picked Growing Rich by Fay Weldon while Rebecca has chosen The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner.

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun! And if you'll be at Continuum 11, we'd love to see you in the audience!

The two books up for dissection this episode are The Bitterwood Bible by Angela Slatter (27:40) and How to be Both by Ali Smith (58:40).

Highly recommended as a companion read to The Bitterwood Bible is the previous Angela Slatter collection published by Tartarus Press, Sourdough and Other Stories.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:32:00 for final remarks.

For the next episode, Kirstyn has chosen The Well by Elizabeth Jolley while Ian is recommending Clade by James Bradley. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• Gemaecca, the ongoing Hild research blog kept by Nicola Griffith (her regular blog lives here)
• Nicola Griffith talking about Hild on The Coode Street Podcast
• The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth
• Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality by Hanne Blank
• Review of Hild by T.S. Miller at Strange Horizons
• Review of Station Eleven at The Skeptical Reader
• Review of Station Eleven by Sigrid Nunez at The New York Times

• Amberlin Kwaymullina's Guest of Honour speech from Continuum 10
• Jim C. Hine's Guest of Honour speech from Continuum 10
• An Indigenous Speculative Fiction Reading List provided by Amberlin Kwaymullina

• Review of Long Hidden by Katherine Farmer on Strange Horizons
• "Reviewing the Other: Like Dancing about Architecture" by Nisi Shawl on Strange Horizons
  
• "Inclusive Reviewing: A Discussion" on Strange Horizons
• "Escaping Ethnocentricity?" by Samuel R. Delany on Strange Horizons
• Response to "Literary Trick" comment by Troy L. Wiggins
• "MFA vs POC" by Junot Diaz on The New Yorker

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:10:25 for Ian's Fun in Fandom Rant as well as some final remarks.

Instead of personal book recommendations, next month's episode will feature two novels which took home gongs at the recent Aurealis Awards which recognise excellence in Australian speculative fiction. Lexicon by Max Barry won Best Science Fiction Novel while Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near won Best Horror Novel and tied for Best Young Adult Novel. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

The pair then move on to the books up for discussion this month. Kirstyn has chosen Bearded Women by Teresa Milbrodt. (beginning at 20:20) while Ian is recommending -- and is slightly angry about -- Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (51:30). This lengthy review of the latter by Liz Bourke is mentioned during the discussion.

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:24:20 for some feedback and final remarks.

Next month, Ian has chosen Love is the Law by Nick Mamatas while Kirstyn is recommending The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• Dare Me by Megan Abbott
• Twelve Conversations and the Teashop by Zoran Zivkovic
• Black Helicopters by Caitlin R. Kiernan
• Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
• Saga Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Love is the Law by Nick Mamatas
• The Secret Lives of Married Women by Elissa Wald
  
• Save Yourself by Kelly Braffet

Up on the slab for the usual lengthy dissection process are A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, chosen by Ian and beginning around 14:32, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (49:30) which was Kirstyn's vexatious pick. 

The reviews and articles mentioned during the discussion can be found via the following links:

• A Tale for the Time Being reviewed by Dan Hartland
• A Tale for the Time Being reviewed by Adam Roberts
• Interview with Gillian Flynn
• Gone Girl reviewed by Mary Gaitskill

• Two Worlds and in Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan, (Volume One) by Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean Press)
• The Gist by Michael Marshall Smith (Subterranean Press)
• Trucksong by Andrew Macrae (Twelfth Planet Press)
  
• Five Autobiographies and a Fiction by Lucius Shepard (Subterranean Press)
• Martian Sands by Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)

The pair then launch into their critique of the books for this episode, NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (starting at 22:45) which Kirstyn picked, followed by Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson (57:30), chosen by Ian.

Here are the links for reviews and articles mentioned during the discussion:

• NOS4R2 reviewed by Jeff VanderMeer at The Guardian
• Sister Mine reviewed by Na'amen Gobert Tilahun at i09
• Sister Mine reviewed by Jessica Langer at LA Review of Books

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, then it's safe to come back at 1:17:20 for final remarks.

For next month -- and it will be NEXT month! -- Ian has recommended A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, while Kirstyn has chosen to discuss Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

• Every Day reviewed by Sara Polsky on Strange Horizons
• Publishers Weekly interview with Claire Messud
• "A Forum on Likeability" convened by the New Yorker
• "I Like Likeable Characters" by Jennifer Weiner in Slate
• "A Bee Inside a Violin Inside A Pear" by Susan Sheridan in Sydney Review of Books

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please check back in at 1:36:00 for some very brief final remarks.

Kirstyn and Ian would also like to bring your attention to the current fundraising drive being run by Strange Horizons to continue their excellent work in publishing speculative fiction stories, reviews and commentary. Please consider a donation if you can, no matter how small. Every dollar counts!

And finally, a small and friendly plug for an upcoming book you might find relevant to your interests. Trucksong is the debut novel by Andrew Macrae soon to be published by Twelfth Planet Press and is being touted as a "genre-bending work of literary biopunk [that] mixes the mad fun of Mad Max II with the idiosyncratic testimony of works like Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang or Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting." It features rogue, bling-encrusted AI trucks roaming the post-apocalytic highways of Australia, people. What's not to love?

Next month, Kirstyn will be travelling throughout the UK and so there will be a brief hiatus for The Writer and the Critic. Which means you all get an extra month to work your way through the two books up for discussion in November: Sister Mine by Nalo Hopskinson (chosen by Ian) and NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (Kirstyn's pick). Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!

If you have skipped ahead, please come back around the 1:25:45 mark for some final remarks and announcements.

Next month, The Writer and the Critic will again be recording in front of a live audience as part of Continuum 9, Melbourne's annual speculative fiction and pop culture convention, and Ian and Kirstyn are delighted to announce that NK Jemisin, will be a special guest on the podcast. For her recommendations, Nora has chosen A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin and the graphic novel Saga (Volume 1 only) by Brian K.Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun -- and if you'll be in Melbourne on 8th June, please come along and be a part of our live audience.

• The Black God's War by Moses Siregar III
• The Silence of Medair by Andrea K Höst
• Paintwork by Tim Maughan

• Angelfall by Susan Ee
• Anticopernicus by Adam Roberts
• Paintwork by Tim Maughan
• The Black God's War by Moses Siregar III
• The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer
• The Silence of Medair by Andrea K Höst

The Twelve Planets are twelve boutique collections by some of Australia’s finest short story writers. Varied across genre and style, each collection will offer four short stories and a unique glimpse into worlds fashioned by some of our favourite storytellers. Each author has taken the brief of 4 stories and up to 40 000 words in their own direction. Some are quartet suites of linked stories. Others are tasters of the range and style of the writer. Each release will bring something unexpected to our subscriber’s mailboxes.

• The Last Days of Kali Yuga (Brimstone Press, 2011)
• Slice of Life (The Mayne Press, 2010)
• Doorways for the Dispossessed (Prime, 2006)