LOTF 33: The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden

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In this episode, we talk about the first two books in Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy: The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower. The third book, The Winter of the Witch, was out in January. We don't include that one in our discussion because we didn't want to risk spoiling anything with it being so new.

In this episode, we talk about the first two books in Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy: The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower. The third book, The Winter of the Witch, was out in January. We don't include that one in our discussion because we didn't want to risk spoiling anything with it being so new.

Speaking of spoilers: we really did our best to keep this discussion as spoiler-free as possible. We do talk a lot about the themes (and we discuss a couple plot points without giving any significant details as to the "when" or the "how".) We really wanted to give you a conversation you can safely enjoy without having read the book—and without spoiling it in case you decide to.

Here is the back-cover description of the first book: 

"Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil.

"Then Vasya’s widowed father brings home a new wife from Moscow. Fiercely devout, Vasya’s stepmother forbids her family from honoring their household spirits, but Vasya fears what this may bring. And indeed, misfortune begins to stalk the village.

"But Vasya’s stepmother only grows harsher, determined to remake the village to her liking and to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for marriage or a convent. As the village’s defenses weaken and evil from the forest creeps nearer, Vasilisa must call upon dangerous gifts she has long concealed—to protect her family from a threat sprung to life from her nurse’s most frightening tales."

Show Notes: 

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Check out our recent guest appearance on Castle Rock Radio to discuss Pet Sematary with Max Booth III and Lori Michelle

Be sure to check out more of Katherine Arden's wonderful work

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LOTF 32: Summer Scares 1 with Carolyn Ciesla

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This episode is our FIRST installment of a series covering the Summer Scares library summer reading program. The Horror Writers’ Association has partnered with Book Riot and Library Journal to curate the Summer Scares reading list, which includes three books each in the Adult, YA, and Middle Grade categories. Joining us today is Carolyn Ciesla, Dean of Learning Resources and Assessment at Prairie State College and the liaison for the adult Summer Scares picks.

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The adult picks for 2019 Summer Scares are:

Show Notes:

Find Carolyn: Twitter

Find out more about Summer Scares here.

If you want to support our podcast and you’re interested in purchasing any of the books we talk about, consider purchasing through our affiliate links above. As always thank you very much for your love and support!

LOTF 31: Victor LaValle on A People's Future of the United States

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Victor LaValle is the author of the short story collection Slapboxing with Jesus, four novels, The Ecstatic, Big Machine, The Devil in Silver, and The Changeling and two novellas, Lucretia and the Kroons and The Ballad of Black Tom. He is also the creator and writer of a comic book Victor LaValle's DESTROYER. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including a Whiting Writers' Award, a United States Artists Ford Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Shirley Jackson Award, an American Book Award, and the key to Southeast Queens. He was raised in Queens, New York. He now lives in Washington Heights with his wife and kids. He teaches at Columbia University.

You may remember that we talked about Victor’s book The Changeling back in episode LOTF 17. Our conversation with Victor was so interesting and thought provoking. We talked about exposing kids to horror, persistence in writing, not being an asshole, and the forthcoming anthology A People’s Future of the United States that Victor co-edited with John Joseph Adams, plus a whole lot more!

Show Notes:

A People’s Future of the United States, edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams

Find Victor: Website | Twitter

If you want to support our podcast and you’re interested in purchasing any of the books we talk about, consider purchasing through our affiliate links above. As always thank you very much for your love and support!