Smack and Gabi are celebrating ITBR's Anni-birthday by inviting you (our precious listeners) to email ([email protected]) or follow & tweet @infinitetbr with your favorite book of this year OR the name of a book that we recommended that you enjoyed.  One lucky participant will be chosen to receive a $20 gift card to the independent bookstore of their choice.  We went on to answer selections (requested by our #1 fan) from the Mid-Year Book Freak Out tag, complete with copious tangents and unrepentant cheating when it came to answering prompts.  Winners include: Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki Summoned by C.P. Rider Gifting Fire by Alina Boyden Misrule by Heather Walter A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew Naomi Teitelbaum Ends the World by Samara Shanker A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

In this bonus episode, Smack and Gabi discuss genre stigma.  We review general trends and discuss our personal experiences encountering it in the wild as readers, writers, and academics.  We also discuss strategies for overcoming stigma in ourselves (an ongoing process) and how best to encourage others to do so (the power of friendship!).

Smack and Gabi review their San Diego Independent Bookstore Day Book Crawl a.k.a. Book Crawl a.k.a. Book Crawlidays adventure.  They recount their experiences and book hauls from each of the eleven(!!) participating independent bookstores in San Diego, noting their faves and their…not-so-faves, as well as the sweet swag accumulated along the way.  They are also gearing up for the 2022 Mysterious Galaxy Summer Bingo and celebrating ITBR’s first birthday!  Happy Birthday to Us!!

Smack and Gabi cover a lot of reading ground from March and April.  Smack gives a teaser about her faves (further discussion pending Gabi catching up…some day); Gabi waxes poetic about feathered dragons, Faustian bargains, violin prodigies, and donut-selling aliens; and we both gush about a gross and incredible werewolf horror novel.  Smack’s been listening to a lot of popcorn audiobooks while Gabi pre-gamed for Book Crawl.  We finish by reminiscing about nice dragons - one of our all-time favorites! Main books discussed include: The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah Stealing Thunder (#1) and Gifting Fire (#2) by Alina Boyden Fae Games trilogy by Karen Lynch Inferno by Dante Alighieri (translated by Mary Jo Bang, illustrations by Henrik Drescher) Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki Mongrels by Stephen Graham-Jones Impact Winter by Travis Beacham Rylee Adamson series by Shannon Mayer Hunt the Stars (Starlight’s Shadow #1) by Jessie Mihalik Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter Scorpica by G.R. Macallister So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens DFZ trilogy by Rachel Aaron Heartstrikers (a.k.a. Nice Dragons) series by Rachel Aaron

In our second bonus episode, Smack and Gabi continue their discussion surrounding the Green Creek saga by TJ Klune.  Topics include some hot tea re: the publishing industry, some common werewolf tropes that were not adequately explained during Gabi’s insane Green Creek tangent of the previous bonus episode, a recap of Brothersong (the final book in the quartet), and a couple of essential plot points that Gabi remembers very suddenly mid-sentence.  We’re also not 100% sure what year it is. Other werewolf books of note mentioned in passing that we think everyone should read include Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones and The Devourers by Indra Das.

Smack and Gabi continue their recap of their Book Hols with the rest of their recent reads and coverage of their (first) Barnes & Noble Pre-Order Sale Extravaganza.  Gabi belatedly learns a well-known Supernatural trope and bemoans a missed opportunity for a character's Enemies-to-BFFs relationship with a big bad evil serpent.  Smack explains the best friend prop and describes how to get good translator recommendations when reading classics.  Both reiterate their goal to make 2022 the Year of Indulgences and Rereads. Main books discussed include: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski translated by Danusia Stok Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown Pawn by Karen Lynch

In our first bonus episode, Gabi goes off on an incredible tangent in which she narrates to a very patient Smack the happenings of the first three Greek Creek books by TJ Klune, which she purchased during the Book Haulidays described in the previous full episode.

Smack and Gabi ring out 2021 with a round-up of their Book Hols from the end of the year and set some 2022 goals.  Gabi did a not insignificant amount of stress-shopping while Smack (somehow?!) didn’t receive a single book during the holidays.  We celebrate the accomplishment of our 2021 book/page count goals and review the highs and lows throughout the year.  For 2022, we decide to skip insane book/page count goals in favor of making it the Year of Indulgences and Rereads.  Gabi’s supplemental goal is to get through her Smack Shelf, while Smack’s supplemental goal is to keep Gabi from accomplishing that goal.  We also start discussing our recent reads (to be continued!).

Smack and Gabi continue with their Sirens (a conference dedicated to examining gender and fantasy literature) catch-up by playing a tier-ranking of the 2021 Sirens Reading Challenge.  The Reading Challenge last year consisted of 25 main books which could be replaced by a selection from a supplemental list of 25 if any of the main books had been read in advance of the challenge.  Both full lists can be found at: https://www.sirensconference.org/connect/readingchallenge.html And our custom tier-ranking game (filled only with selections which at least one of us read) can be found at: https://tiermaker.com/create/sirens-reading-challenge-2021-1334416

Smack and Gabi reconvene in the new year to catch-up on the final quarter of 2021 starting with a review of their experiences at Sirens, a conference dedicated to examining gender and fantasy literature.  In this episode, they itemize their very reasonable book hauls (Gabi walked away from the auction with a tote bag stuffed full of books, while Smack scored some long-anticipated novels at the Sirens bookstore), chat about their favorite conference sessions, and celebrate Gabi’s murder mystery win, all while taking only a minor detour to rant about a recent read. Books discussed include: Payback’s a Witch by Lena Harper Black Water Sister by Zen Cho Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel The Bone Witch trilogy by Rin Chupeco